Try, Try Again
by KaitiCat1993
Summary: Franny Robinson, ever the motherly type, never had more children after Wilbur. It's never explained why this woman, who is so willingly to take in an orphan at the drop of a hat, only has one son. This story takes a look into the lives of Franny and Cornelius as they struggle through the curve balls of life. Warning: This fic contains mature material.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I've had this idea rolling around in my head for a while now and I figured why not share it with the world? This is my very first fanfic (although not my first idea for one, obviously) and I hope you all with enjoy reading it.

Warning: This fic does include sex, a miscarriage, and overall angst. Please don't read this if these subjects upset you. I intend for this to be an uplifting and happy story, so please don't take it for face value.

With that, enjoy!

 ** _Try, Try Again_**

Chapter 1: Wedding Night

April 2020

It had been quite the eventful day. Cornelius Robinson had just struck a deal with Inventco to expand into what would soon become Robinson Industries, he had an impromptu belated birthday party, and he had just married the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. They had stayed at the reception until the room cleared and everyone went home. Lazlo and Tallulah argued about who got to go home instead of staying to clean in the background. Cornelius listened intently to their bickering, attempting to distract himself. He had started to pick up dirty dishes when Bud, his adoptive father, came up and put his arm over his shoulder.

"Now, son," he said trying to get Cornelius' attention. "You just got married," he said with a smile, then gently turned his son's head to face in the direction of his new wife. His breath caught in his throat. God, she was beautiful. He black hair was pulled back into a braided bun with little ringlets hanging around her face; the white dress she changed into after the ceremony hung perfectly over her curves. Several silver bracelets hung on each arm above the rather impressive sized diamond she wore on her left rand with her new wedding band. For a fleeting moment, he wondered what it would be like to see that dress falling effortlessly to the floor.

Cornelius felt his face go red; he had always known what would come on his wedding night, but at that moment he was trying to busy himself, feeling nervous about not being any good where the bedroom was concerned. He felt himself blush and glanced back at his father who was looking at Franny. "Don't you worry, your mother and I will get this mess cleaned up. You two just go and make yourselves at home." He winked at that last part.

Cornelius nervously chuckled, then gently placed the fine China plate back down on the table. As Bud was about to walk away, Cornelius spoke up. "Um, dad?" He asked hesitantly.

Bud, sensing the tension in his son's voice, quickly came back and replied, "What is it, son?"

Cornelius looked everywhere but at his father. "Um…"

"Son?"

"Any, um…last minute advice?" Cornelius said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and putting the other in his pocket.

Bud froze, furrowing his brow. After a moment, he sighed, then chuckled. "Son, I don't think you'd want advice from an old man like me. But if you're that determined to put this off, you can always tell her you're not ready."

"But that's just the thing. I'm readier now than I've ever been. Sure, we've made out, but it never got very far. Mainly because of you," Cornelius poked an accusing finger into Bud's chest sarcastically. He got serious again. "Look, I just want this night to be special .I don't want to make her think I don't find her attractive. I just want-"

"Son," Bud cut him off. "If you really want that kind of advice, then just take it slow. Don't rush anything. Tell her she's beautiful and kiss her a lot. If it's not good, she won't even notice." He patted his son's shoulder, then turned and walked away, laughing.

Cornelius went to say something, but was interrupted by a pair of arms encircling his torso.

"So, Mr. Robinson, would you like to get out of here?" Franny asked softly into her new husband's ear. He felt the warm breath on his neck and shivered. He turned and looked down into the eyes of the only woman in the world to him-besides Lucille, his adoptive mother, of course. She would always hold a special place in his heart.

He looped his right arm around her slender frame and leaned in close to her lips, just close enough she thought he would kiss her. "Of course, Mrs. Robinson," he said, putting emphasis on the word "Mrs." She smiled widely and closed the gap between them, kissing him chastely, then at the last moment before they pulled away, she nipped at his lower lip. His breath caught again.

"You tease," he said smiling.

"Come on," she continued, taking a quick sip of the wine that was in her hand (how long had that been there? He didn't know, but he suddenly thought having a glass himself was just about the best idea in the world at that moment). "Let's head up to our room."

"Okay, sweetheart. You lead the way." They grinned at each other before Franny turned and started walking toward the door. Quickly Cornelius grabbed a nearby bottle of wine and took a few gulps before running to catch up with her.

Once they were at their bedroom door (which had recently been a storage area but was renovated by Cornelius and Bud so that he and Franny could have a space of their own), Cornelius froze and grabbed Franny's waist. Franny let out a giggle.

"What are you doing?"

"You'll see," he said, smiling down at her. For a moment she was lost in his beautiful blue eyes, but the daydream was cut short when Cornelius quickly grabbed Franny behind the legs and literally swept her off her feet. Franny was grinning from ear to ear at the realization as he kicked the door open, never taking his eyes off her, and carried her into their new bedroom.

Franny was too distracted to notice the intricate details of the large room, like the picture frame next to the bed with a photo of them on their first date, or the stuffed frogs hidden about the room. Cornelius didn't dare look anywhere else, for fear this beautiful woman might disappear if he did. He quickly kicked the door shut and walked toward the bed, gently laying her down on top of it. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before saying, "Wait here."

Franny was not the type of person to let too much of her emotions show, so when Cornelius said something corny that would make other people roll their eyes, she would secretly swoon while just smiling at him. That was how she was feeling right now. She was swooning. He was always so gently and loving and knew just how to make her head swim with images of first kisses and holding hands. God, she was so in love.

"Okay, sweetheart," she agreed. Cornelius turned to go lock the bedroom door, then headed back into the bathroom that was on the other side of the bed. As he disappeared, Franny suddenly became very nervous. Sure, she and Cornelius had made out before in his room, his lab, his car…but it never led to anything. She didn't think about it until this moment, but she sure was glad to have someone like him who never wanted to push her further that what she was comfortable with. But now it was time. The big moment was about to happen, but…was she ready? Her smile fell, and she almost- _almost_ -started biting her perfectly manicured nails, but stopped short. She started breathing quicker and decided in that moment that she was going to enjoy it. But what if she wasn't any good? What if they went through with this and he thought she was awful and never wanted to touch her again?

She brought her knees up to her chest, then moved back to the headboard and got under the covers. Oh, God. They hadn't even done anything, and she was already embarrassed.

"Franny," Cornelius said, coming out of the bathroom clad in nothing but a pair of pajama pants. He saw the lump on the bed and frowned. Was she that scared of him? Did she not trust him at all with this whole ordeal?

"Hmm?" Franny said, peeking over the blanket. Immediately she noticed he was shirtless and gasped, pulling the blanket back up over her face.

He sighed, then sat down on the bed looking down at his hands which were clasped together in his lap a bit too tightly. "Franny, why are you hiding?"

"Hiding? I'm not hiding."

"Yes, you are." He paused. "Look, I didn't want to admit this, but…I'm a little nervous. I've never been with a woman before and I'm just worried that I'm not going to be able to give you what you deserve."

Franny's eyebrows raised in the dark. She pulled the blanket down and titled her head, gently placing a hand on Cornelius' back, which was very warm and very pink. Hm. When he blushed, he blushed all over. How cute. She smiled a bit.

"Really, you're nervous?" In all the years she had known this man, he had never once gotten nervous. Frazzled, maybe, but never nervous. Or if he had been, she'd never noticed.

He didn't say anything. He just sighed and nodded slightly.

"Sweetheart, even if it's terrible-" he whipped his head around to look at her in exasperation, which was a hilarious expression on him- "which I'm sure it won't be. I was just saying, even if it's the worst night of my life, it'll still be special to me. And I would never think negatively of this night, I promise." She said sincerely. He smiled and grabbed the hand that was on his back and wrapped his hand around it, brining it up to kiss it.

"I love you. You always know just what to say."

"I know," she said jokingly.

He chuckled, then his face went serious.

"Franny, what we're about to do…if I hurt you or make you uncomfortable- "

"Don't worry, I'll let you know." She smirked, and he rolled his eyes.

"Would you like to get ready, or…?" he trailed off.

"I'll be right back," she said, pulling the blanket off and kissing him before scurrying into the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and looked at herself in the mirror. Her heart was pounding, but she tried her best to ignore it. She told herself she was more excited than nervous, but she didn't know if she believed herself.

She looked around the bathroom, just noticing how big it was. In one corner was a jacuzzi and the other a rather large shower. Next to the shower on a hook was a light green fluffy-looking robe. She smiled. He had really thought of everything, hadn't he?

Shaking a bit, she unzipped her dress and stepped out of it, then proceeded to take off all the jewelry she was wearing-except her wedding band, of course-placing it all on the sink. She looked at her reflection once more. She looked okay. Not too pudgy, even after three slices of wedding cake (hey, it was delicious), and not too thin. No blemishes. She wanted to look absolutely perfect for him.

She turned and grabbed the robe off the hook and wrapped it around herself. She smiled at the mirror and went to open the door again, then decided last minute to take her hair down. As her hair cascaded down her back, she turned the doorknob and stepped back out into the bedroom.

As she approached the bed, she saw that Cornelius had snuck under the covers this time and was just lounging against the headboard twiddling his thumbs. He heard the door click and turned to look at her, smiling.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"Hello," he retorted. After a brief pause, he patted the bed next to him. "There's room for one more." She shook her head and laughed, stepping over to the bed. She thought about going around to get to her side, but she decided to have a little fun and climbed over Cornelius.

As she was trying to get over him, he caught a quick glimpse inside of her robe at the top of the mounds on her chest. They were slightly parted and perfectly smooth and suddenly he couldn't think straight. He grabbed her waist and helped her maneuver to the other side, and as he sat her down leaning over her, he felt the front of his pants get a little tighter.

Oh, no. This was the moment he was dreading: initiation. Both just sat there staring at each other until Cornelius broke the silence. "I love you," he said shyly. She smiled warmly at him and replied, "I love you, too. So much."

He hummed and leaned down to kiss her.

At first it was a beautiful, innocent kissed, only slightly laced with what was to come. After a few minutes of them moving their lips against each other's, tilting their heads to get a better angle, they broke off to come up for air. Then they went right back, only wanting more, but never seeming to get enough.

They broke apart again for a second and, suddenly feeling more confident, Cornelius pushed part of Franny's robe over her right shoulder exposing her perfect skin. Her body was flush from all the kissing and he hoped she would look like that every time they were intimate, because she was just beautiful like this.

They started kissing again and Cornelius, finding courage somewhere in himself, traced his hand over her shoulder and under her robe onto her perfectly shaped breast. She gasped at the contact. No one had ever touched her there before. It was heavenly.

He then ran a thumb over her nipple, making it go stiff. Suddenly Franny moaned, and he broke off the kiss to look at her face. Her mouth was open in a "O" shape he had never seen before. If that was her reaction to a thumb…he had a sudden thought, and removed the fabric from her chest completely. Franny looked at him with wide eyes, but didn't stop him from lowering his head and taking a pert nipple into his mouth. She leaned her head back and moaned again, absolutely loving the sensation.

After working on her right breast for a minute or two, he moved to the other, getting the same reaction out of her once again. She was in heaven and never wanted to come back down to earth.

"Oh, sweetheart…honey…I don't," she gasped, "want you to feel left out." She ran a finger through his shaggy hair and rested her hand on the back of his head. He lifted his head up to look at her.

"Don't worry about me. I want you to feel good."

She smiled and pulled him up to kiss her again. As he moved his body back up the bed, he accidentally rubbed his lower half against her leg. She gasped. She hadn't even really thought about how he was reacting to this moment, but she could tell he was very much enjoying himself.

She grabbed Cornelius' shoulders and pushed him down so that he was laying on his back. He looked up at her with wide eyes. "Franny, what are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing," she said mischievously, slithering down so her head was right near the top of his pajama pants. She could hear his breath quicken, her heart pounding again, but she decided to ignore it and gently pulled the top of his pants down to reveal the bottom of his cute little blond happy trail. She looked up, unsure if she was even doing anything remotely sexy, then moved her gaze back to the task at hand.

If Cornelius was being honest, he was terrified. No one had ever seen his most private area, except of course his doctor, but that was different. No one had ever seen him, well, like this-with a very strong erection and a beautiful woman threatening to reveal his deepest, darkest secret. She knew he was excited by the thought of her, but he would never admit it out loud, no matter how many times they had made out and he had this exact same problem. He had never even considered telling her how much she turned him on.

He was so nervous that she was going to pull that last bit of fabric down, see what was hiding there, and laugh. He didn't know what was average and what was considered big, but he hoped whatever he was would be just right for his wife.

Suddenly the fabric was gone, and he felt a warm breeze on his nether region, making him twitch. He looked Franny in the eye, as if for some sort of validation. She looked down at his crotch and smiled.

"Wow, I didn't realize…" she trailed off.

"Didn't realize what?" he said with fear in his voice.

"How big you were." She looked back up at him with lust-filled eyes and teasingly flicked her tongue on the hard surface.

"Oh," he gasped. He was relieved that she hadn't laughed at him.

Not really knowing what to do from here, Franny sat there looking down. After a moment Cornelius asked, "Is everything okay?"

As if coming out of a daze, Franny's eyes snapped up and she sheepishly replied, "Um…I don't really know what I'm supposed to do." Cornelius furrowed his brow. "I mean, one of my friends tried to give me some pointers, but I don't know. None of them feel right yet." She sighed and made her way back to the headboard, resting in his outstretched arm. She put a hand on his chest. "Shall we continue?"

He chuckled and brought her head down for another kiss. Their lips moved in a playful dance as Cornelius pushed the robe the rest of the way off his new wife (he smiled at the thought). He tossed the robe to the side and it hit the floor with a soft thud. Franny parted from his lips as a flush came over her cheeks. She was now completely exposed and felt butterflies in her stomach when she looked into his eyes. He didn't say anything and for a moment she worried he wasn't attracted to her. Her throat became tight and just as her eyes pricked with the threat of tears, Cornelius broke the silence.

"Wow, Franny. You're so beautiful."

Franny exhaled, relieved. She smiled and bent down to kiss him once more. Faster than she could anticipate, Cornelius had wrapped his arm around her waist and laid her gently on her back. Her breath caught in her throat again. "Sweetheart- "

"Hang on," he said and stood up. He hesitated for a moment, then realized she was going to see him naked anyway and quickly dropped his pajama pants and boxers in one motion. Franny could feel her face burning; she hadn't realized that all the heavy lifting and hard work in his lab had given him muscles. They were very light and hardly noticeable, but they were still there and made her knees week, even when laying down.

He turned around to get back in bed and their eyes met once more. Franny realized she had been staring (did that matter? They were married now, after all…) and quickly averted her eyes. One corner of his mouth lifted slightly as he pulled the covers back and sat next to Franny. He lightly put a finger under her chin and turned her face back to him.

"Hey, you don't have to be embarrassed." She breathed a sigh as he carefully rolled over to now be on top of her. "Ready?" he asked tenderly.

She nodded and spread her legs slightly to allow him better access.

"Just tell me if I hurt you or if you're in any way uncomfortable." She nodded again, not able to say much considering her heart was beating a mile a minute. Little did she know that his was doing backflips in his chest. Cornelius came down and kissed her ever so gently as he slowly entered her, trying to distract her if she felt any pain. She furrowed her brow, continuing the kiss to distract herself from the pinch she felt between her legs. It wasn't awful, just slightly uncomfortable. Once he was all the way in he held still for a moment to allow her to adjust. "Are you okay?" he asked softly.

She paused, then replied, "Yes."

"Okay," he smiled as he brushed a stray hair out of her face. Before he started to pull back out, she said in almost a whisper, "I love you, Cornelius."

He caressed her face with his hand. "I love you, too, Francesca," he replied and kissed her once more as he pulled back and began to move inside of her. She was still slightly uncomfortable at first, but after a minute or two she began to feel a way she never had before. They were gazing into each other's eyes as they made love for the first time. Suddenly Cornelius hit something in Franny that made her moan louder than she ever had, and he froze for a moment.

"Am I hurting you?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

"What?" Franny said, out of breath. "Oh, no. It feels amazing," she said with a goofy grin. Cornelius felt a swell of pride in his chest as he realized he had made her moan in ecstasy and not pain. He had made her feel amazing and he wanted to do it again.

"Oh, well in that case," he said smirking. Franny was about to reply but the way he was suddenly moving faster than before made her forget everything and the only things that came out of her mouth were the moans that were punctuated by each thrust. Every time she would make a noise, Cornelius felt himself getting more and more turned on. He could feel himself getting close, and noticed that Franny seemed to be getting tighter.

She gripped the bedsheets under her, feeling herself tensing up. She had never really thought about sex or touching herself, so she didn't know what to expect. All she knew was that she was feeling very strange, but definitely in a good way. Suddenly the bed sheets weren't enough to keep her grounded, so she moved her hands to grip Cornelius' back and slightly dug her nails into his skin. The pressure on his back made him tense up, but he never stopped. He was far too close now and he could feel her getting there, too.

Her moans rose in pitch as all at once she felt herself constricting around him. He gasped from the feeling and let himself go as they climaxed together. He kept thrusting until he could no longer feel her walls squeezing him anymore. He stopped moving and they both just laid there looking into one another's eyes. Franny blinked, her face flush and her hair loosely splayed on her pillow. Cornelius didn't dare move. He wanted to stay like this forever, if only to relish the expression on Franny's face.

He leaned his head down and touched her forehead with his own. "That," he said, trying to catch his breath, "was amazing. Do you know how rare it is that couples climax simultaneously?"

Franny cocked her head, then shook it, smiled as she pulled his head down for another kiss. Their lips separated with a slight smack and they touched foreheads once more. Without looking away from her, Cornelius reached over to the bedside table to grab a few tissues.

"We should get cleaned up," he said quietly. She nodded and grabbed the tissue he handed her as he gently pulled out. "Would you like to take a shower," he asked as she cleaned herself off and tossed the tissue in a nearby trashcan.

She chuckled. "Yeah. I don't want to ruin the sheets." He laughed and got up, extending his hand to help her up. Now that he was standing in front of her, not even slightly embarrassed anymore, she was able to look him up and down.

"What is it?" he asked, slightly confused.

"Oh, nothing. You're just a hunk, that's all," she smirked and led the way to the bathroom.

He laughed and shook his head, quickly following her into the bathroom. He locked the door behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I know that the house probably isn't set up this way, but I just love the idea of Cornelius and Franny having a kitchenette in their bedroom. It's like their own private getaway.

Disclaimer: I forgot to mention it, but I obviously don't own Meet the Robinsons.

Chapter 2: Early Symptoms

April 2020

The morning after.

Franny opened her eyes, squinting in the sunlight that was threatening to barge into the bedroom. She blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the light, and turned her head. Her breath caught as she laid her deep brown eyes upon the sleeping form next to her. She smiled as he, as if sensing she was awake, slowly forced his eyes open. As a man of 25 he was always up extremely early to either work on something he thought of while sleeping or to go to work. Thankfully he had two weeks off, instructing everyone to absolutely, no matter the circumstance, NOT call him, so they could have a peaceful honeymoon. (They had decided, instead of spending a ton of money on a fancy hotel, that it would be romantic to just stay in and enjoy one another's company in the comfort of their own home. Cornelius had even instructed the rest of the family to not bother them, so they had an entire wing to themselves.)

He met her gaze and smiled back at her. "Good morning, Mr. Robinson," Franny said in almost a whisper. His grin widened as he replied, "Good morning to you, too, _Mrs_. Robinson." She sighed contently. She didn't think she would ever tire of hearing that.

"What would you like to do today?" she asked, sitting up. The blanket fell slightly so that it was draped across her lap, exposing her bare skin.

He looked up at her from his pillow. "I think I'd like to just lay here and stare at you," he said with a goofy grin plastered on his face. She blushed, playfully shoving him. Cornelius sat up and pulled Franny's head close to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "You know," he said in a husky voice. "Last night was one of the greatest nights of my life."

She giggled. "Me, too." Suddenly memories of the night before flooded into her mind. She couldn't believe how amazing it had been the first time, and the second time…and the fifth time. They had even made love in the jacuzzi at one point. She bit her lip thinking about the way he had helped her ride him while the jets massaged her thighs. They would definitely have to do that again soon.

Seemingly out of nowhere, a grumbling sound broke the silence. Franny cocked her head and smirked. "Would you like some breakfast?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. I'm starving." He grinned mischievously as he leaned forward to capture her lips in another kiss.

Laughing, she pushed him away. "That's not what I meant." She rolled her eyes and stood up, letting the blanket fall off her pale skin. Cornelius could only gaze upon the beauty in front of him as she bent down and picked up the robe that had been forgotten on the floor. He was a little disappointed when she wrapped herself in it and tied it closed. He couldn't help but think about how sexy it would be if she made breakfast naked. He felt himself blush as Franny smiled down at him. "What?"

"Nothing." He shook his head and got up, reluctantly putting his pajama pants back on. This time it was Franny's turn to stare.

"How many pancakes do you want?" Franny asked, flipping a flapjack.

"I'll take four for now."

"Coming right up," she said, quickly grabbing a plate so she could put the finished pancakes on it.

Cornelius came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You're so good at that."

She chortled. "I am, aren't I? I mean I did perfect my mother's own recipe…" she trailed off.

"You're right," he whispered in her ear. His warm breath made a shiver go down her back. He couldn't resist brushing his lips over her neck, leaving a few light kisses as he brushed some hair out of his way.

Franny hummed. "Honey, what are you doing? I thought you were hungry."

"I am," he said in a husky voice. "For you," he continued lightly nipping at her ear and pressing his bare body against her back. Franny could feel him poking her in her lower back and she moaned.

In one move, Franny had dropped the pan, turned the stove off, turned around and wrapped her arms around Cornelius' neck. In less than ten seconds they had made it from the kitchenette in the far side of their bedroom to the couch in the living area on the other side. They landed on the couch and forgot all thought of pancakes.

It was like that for quite some time; they couldn't keep their hands off each other. No matter where they were-in the living room, in the lab, in the car-the need to be intimate overwhelmed them. But neither of them cared. They just couldn't get enough.

At the end of the second week, Cornelius had contemplated going back to work, but he was just enjoying his time with Franny far too much to go back yet. He ended up calling Inventco to tell them he would be taking another week off. Franny had been concerned at first for the security of her husband's job, but Cornelius had assured her that the people he worked for loved him and that they insisted he spend more time enjoying his marriage.

And enjoy it, they did. As much as they loved being close, they also wanted to cherish the little things, like snuggling up on the couch with a hot chocolate and cookies while watching a romantic comedy (he didn't really like them, but he was usually the one watching until the end while Franny would fall asleep with her head in his lap), or when they would just lay in bed at night after making love, talking about anything and everything. One evening as Cornelius was laying in a satisfied daze, Franny asked him something he hadn't thought about it what seemed like a very long time.

"Sweetheart, do you ever think about having children?"

Cornelius furrowed his brow as he turned his head on his pillow. "Children?"

"Yeah." Cornelius was silent, and Franny began to panic, thinking she was about to send him running. "I mean, we already have a pretty big family. What's a couple more people in the house?"

Cornelius didn't say anything for a minute or two. All he could think about was a thirteen-year-old boy with black hair and brown eyes (the spitting image of his wife) who ended up introducing him to his futuristic family. He was stunned that Franny had brought up the subject of children so soon, but at the same time he was glad. At least they were on the same page.

Just as Franny was about to open her mouth again to speak, Cornelius said, "You're right." They both smiled as he continued, "I would love to have children." He paused. "How many were you thinking?"

Franny raised her eyebrows; this wasn't the answer she expected, but she wasn't complaining. She had never really thought about how many she wanted. Franny only knew she very much wanted to be a mother one day. "I don't know. Three or four?"

He chuckled. "That's a lot of kids to be looking after. Did you want them all at once or did you want to have one, wait a few years, have another, wait a few-ow!" he said, rubbing his shoulder, laughing.

"Don't be silly. I don't want them too far apart, if we were to have that many." She sighed. "To be honest, I would be content with one or two. I just love the idea of having a big family of our own." She smiled as she snuggled into the crook of Cornelius' arm. He kissed the top of her head as he rubbed her back. He loved the way her skin felt against his; hers smooth and soft to the touch and his mildly calloused from lab work.

He continued to rub her back up and down until she finally drifted off to sleep. He smiled. Well, at least he knew they would have at least one child. A very hyperactive, intelligent, handful of a child.

May 2020

As much as they would have liked for their honeymoon to last forever, they knew that it had to come to an end eventually. Franny was dying to get back to composing new songs for her frogs and Cornelius had so many ideas for new inventions flying around in his brain. It was the Sunday before Cornelius went back to work and Franny had gotten up early to make them breakfast one last time. Just as Franny was finishing up frying some eggs, Cornelius came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. She looked up from the stove to her husband.

"Hello, gorgeous," she said in a much too theatrical voice.

Cornelius rolled his eyes and smirked. He came over to Franny and kissed her before sitting down at the little table they had in the kitchenette. "What's for breakfast, beautiful?"

She couldn't help but smile at his words. Yes, he was a man of science, but he sure knew how to be a lady's man. At least for her, that is.

"Scrambled eggs with toast." She scraped some eggs onto a plate and placed it down in front of him. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please," he said as he began to dig in. His wife was a phenomenal cook; somehow, she managed to make even scrambled eggs taste gourmet.

"Coming right up." She turned around and grabbed the coffee pot. As she began to pour the hot liquid into the mug, she caught a whiff of it. She grimaced, then gagged.

Cornelius, noticing the look on Franny's face and froze. "Franny? Are you okay?"

Choking back another gag, Franny set the coffee pot and mug down on the table in front of Cornelius. "I'm fine. Smell that. I think the coffee went bad." She pinched her nose for good measure.

He raised his eyebrows, then furrowed them as he poured a bit of the coffee into his cup. He sniffed. "It smells fine to me," he said taking a sip. "It tastes fine. Franny?"

She shook her head. She loved coffee, but for some reason this morning it smelled rancid. "It's nothing, honey. I'm fine." She forced a smile and sat down with her own plate of eggs and, hesitating, brought a forkful to her mouth. They tasted fine, and she was starving, so she tried her best not to sniff in Cornelius' direction.

He just stared at her concernedly as she seemed to force-feed herself until her plate was empty. In less than five minutes. "Um, Franny?"

"Hmm?" she asked with a mouthful of eggs.

"Take it easy. There's more eggs. I can make you another plate," he offered.

Her eyes widened in delight and she swallowed. "Oh, that would be wonderful. Would you?" she asked, not even noticing his full plate of eggs.

A few hours later, Franny and Cornelius decided to try to put some distance between them so that it wouldn't be do hard on either of them when he went back to work. Cornelius had chosen to sit on the opposite side of the room drawing up some blueprints (he had so many ideas and seemingly not enough paper) while Franny spread out on the couch reading a book. They had turned the TV on for background noise, but Franny had decided it was too loud and turned it down. She went to turn the page in _Gone with the Wind_ , one of her favorites, when she suddenly felt a twinge of pain in her abdomen. She grimaced and put a hand on her stomach as she grunted quietly.

Ever the observant type, Cornelius heard the discomfort in her voice and looked up from his blueprint. "Franny? You okay?" He was worried; she had been acting strange since breakfast, but he didn't dare say anything for fear of her karate chopping his gut.

"Hmm?" Franny looked up and frowned, still rubbing her tummy. "Oh, I'm fine. My stomach just hurts is all." She forced a smile and went back to reading her book.

Unsatisfied with her answer, he tried again. "Well, can I get you something? Aspirin? Ginger Ale?"

Suddenly Franny snapped, "I said I'm fine."

Too shocked to reply at his wife's outburst, Cornelius went back to his paper. At least he pretended to start working again. After a moment, Franny continued, "Sorry." She exhaled. "I must be getting my period."

Cornelius blushed and said, "Oh." He knew how the female anatomy worked, but he still got frazzled whenever Franny mentioned her monthly cycle. It wasn't that he was embarrassed, per se, he was usually just afraid of her mood swings. "Hey, honey, would you mind if I took this up to my lab?" He paused, then quickly added, "The lighting in here is hurting my eyes." He had to come up with a good excuse, otherwise he would be regretting asking for weeks.

Without really thinking about it or acknowledging him, she said, "Sure, sweetheart. I'll see you later, then?" She looked up as he started heading out the door.

He bent down and kissed her over the back of the couch. "Of course. I'll be back down for dinner. I promise." She smiled and went back to her book once more.

Once out in the hallway, Cornelius sighed in relief and hurried toward his lab.

After a few hours in lab getting next to nothing accomplished, Cornelius decided to head back down to his room. He wasn't getting anywhere with the flying car design, so he figured he would quell the grumbling in his stomach. Quietly so as not to disturb his wife, he closed the door with a slight _click_ and tiptoed over to the couch where she lay sleeping with her book draped over her chest. One arm was holding the book protectively and the other dangled off the side of the couch. He smiled down at her and sighed. Had she really not moved from this spot all day? He was gone for quite some time, but had she not even gotten up to use the restroom?

As carefully as he could without waking her, Cornelius picked her up gently and slowly made his way to the bed. Even when her book fell to the ground with a _thud_ she never roused. He laid her down and covered her slim form with the duvet and glanced up at the alarm clock on the nightstand. 5:30? Had he really been in the lab that long? He furrowed his brow in disappointment-he had spent the last day of their honeymoon avoiding her. The sun was just beginning to sink into the horizon, and a sinking feeling fell into the pit of his stomach, never seeming to lift. Cornelius shook his head and bent down to place a loving kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight, Franny," he whispered, heading back over to the couch, picking up the remote, and flipping channels aimlessly.

7:30

Cornelius blinked at the TV screen. He had eventually stopped on a documentary about the great inventors of the last century (which, subsequently, he was featured on), and watched mindlessly as they talked about all his greatest accomplishments. He was never really one to boast or brag about himself, but sometimes a little confidence boost was appreciated. Cornelius rubbed his eyes then checked his watch. He sighed and got up and rounded the couch, heading toward the bed. Cornelius gently climbed in next to Franny, who was still fast asleep, and started shaking her lightly.

"Franny," he said in a soft voice. "Sweetheart, it's dinner time."

"Hmm?" Franny hummed, barely awake.

"I said it's dinner time," he repeated. "Remember we agreed to have dinner with the rest of the family tonight?"

Franny rolled over and blinked, looking up at Cornelius with tired eyes. "Hmm, okay honey," she said, her eyes threatening to close again.

Cornelius sighed and rocked her again. "Franny, I need you to wake up. My parents are waiting for us."

Franny sighed in exasperation and threw the covers off her. Instead of getting up, she just sat there.

"Honey?"

"What?" Franny snapped.

"Dinner is ready."

Franny rolled her eyes and stood up. She pulled off her robe and put on the nearest dress she could find.

"Franny, why are you acting like this?"

"What are you talking about?" she said, frowning. She didn't look at him as she put on her heels. She hastily stood and quickly made her way to the door. "Let's go. I'm starving."

Cornelius blinked and scratched his head.

At dinner, everyone gathered around the large dining table. Tallulah shouted at Lazlo for spilling something on her brand-new dress while Frtiz sat nearby, wincing from the names Petunia was calling him. Bud and Lucille sat in their usual seats, having a quiet conversation. Gaston was busy seeing how far he could shoot a meatball across the room as Art sat across from him, rolling his eyes,

Franny couldn't help but notice Lucille looking over at her every few seconds, but she did her best to ignore it. Cornelius sat in silence, intently listening to the conversations around the table. He and Franny hadn't spoken since she had woken up, and he wasn't about to bring up the outburst she had earlier.

Then again, Franny was acting weird; she said she was starving, but she hardly touched her spaghetti, which was one of her favorite meals. Nor did she bother trying to spark a conversation with anyone; usually she was the center of every conversation and the median in most arguments. Franny was not being herself and Cornelius couldn't figure out why.

"Okay, everyone. Time for dessert," the latest version of C4R1 said, his chest opening as little versions of the robot ran around the table with plates of chocolate cake. "Dig in!" (Cornelius couldn't help but smile as his invention was finally working the way he always knew it would.)

Something in Franny seemed to spark at the sight of the double decker German chocolate cake. Even though she hadn't eaten her dinner, her eyes were as big as saucers looking at the dessert before her.

Franny quickly stabbed her fork through the cake and practically shoveled it in her mouth. After a moment she froze and said, "You know what would be really good with this? Ketchup." Everyone froze as Franny ran into the kitchen to grab the condiment bottle. While she was out of the room, questions began flying at Cornelius.

"Ketchup on _cake_? Eew!"

"What's up with her?"

"What did you do to her?" Cornelius heard Lazlo ask accusingly. He looked at the eleven-year-old with a blank stare.

"Uh…" Cornelius began before thankfully being cut off by Franny coming back in the room. "There's my beautiful wife," he said, standing up, trying to change the subject. He attempted to kiss her, but she turned, making him miss and hit her cheek. He smiled awkwardly as Franny took her seat again and drizzled the ketchup all over the chocolate dessert.

Eyes were agape and filled with disgust as Franny tore back into her food. She paused, fork halfway to her mouth, sensing them staring at her. "What?" she asked, going right back to eating.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: It took me a little bit to revise this chapter, but I'm happy with it. Things will really start moving along starting next chapter. One of the main points in this story is that, obviously, Franny only has one child, but doesn't have him until 2024. Who knows, we might even see Wilbur cameo. We'll see how that goes, but for now, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Meet the Robinsons.

Chapter 3: Warning Signs

May 2020

Cornelius was worried; for the past week his wife had been having serious mood swings. One minute she would be over the moon rejoicing about a breakthrough with the development of her singing frogs, then the next she would snap at anyone and everyone who interrupted her research. He would get very angry with Franny and be close to retaliating with a quip of his own, then suddenly she would burst into tears, apologizing for being so callous. She would say things like, "I don't mean to be this way. You don't deserve to have me snapping at you. Oh, I don't deserve you!" then run into the nearest bathroom and sob.

It wasn't like normal monthly cycle mood swings, either. Usually she would just be slightly more irritated than normal, but that was okay because he could handle that. No, these mood swings were like that of a mental breakdown. But that wasn't what Cornelius was worried about at the moment. Right now, he was more worried about her change in diet.

Ever since the last night of their honeymoon, Cornelius began noticing that Franny would hardly eat anything. He would try to make her pancakes, eggs, steak, spaghetti-all her favorite foods-but when she tried to eat it, she always seemed to throw it back up. He couldn't figure out why Franny was acting this way until, that is, one night as he was searching for something in his bedroom.

"Where did I put that thing?" he muttered to himself, digging through his dresser. He was trying to find a prototype he had apparently hidden from himself (a small device that allows items to teleport from one room to another). After rummaging through all the drawers in the bureau, he moved onto his nightstand to no avail.

"Maybe Franny took it," he said, going over to the other side of the bed and pulling open the drawer on her nightstand. He moved a few things around, then froze. His hesitantly picked up a small white pack of pills with every few missing but was mostly full. "Oh, my God," he said to himself. The answer to all his questions smacked him on the forehead all at once.

"What is it, honey?" Franny said suddenly from the door. Cornelius hurriedly stuffed the pack into his pocket, quickly closing the drawer and turning to face her.

"Oh, um, nothing. I was just looking for the Teleporter prototype I must've misplaced." There was an awkward silence as Franny stared at him. "I just realized what time it is," he said looking down at his watch. "Boy am I hungry." Cornelius practically bolted out the door with Franny staring after him inquisitively.

"That was strange," Franny muttered to herself. She shook her head and made her way downstairs.

"Honey?" Franny said, lightly knocking on Cornelius' office door.

He didn't look up from the paperwork he was reading over. "Come in," he grunted.

Franny came in and quietly closed the door. "I brought you some coffee. Just how you like it," she said, setting it down on the desk in front of him.

He looked up, confusion tainting his face. "You made me coffee? You can't even stand the smell of it." Franny shrugged. Cornelius dropped the pen he was holding and checked his watch. "Is that really the time?"

"Yes," Franny said with the slightest hint of annoyance. She had fallen asleep around 7:00 but woke up only a few hours later to an empty bed. Franny sighed. "Sweetheart, I didn't just come up here to bring you coffee." He raised his eyebrows as she wrung her hands. "Look, I wanted to apologize. For the way I've been acting." Her throat started getting tighter as her eyes pricked with that all too familiar feeling. "I just don't know why I've been this way lately. It's like, no matter what I'm doing, even when we're together and I'm genuinely happy, something inside me is telling me something else." Cornelius pinched the bridge of his nose and balled his other hand into a fist, then unclenched it. "And it's not you, I swear-"

"Franny, have a seat," he said, motioning to the chair on the other side of the desk. He picked up the coffee mug and took a sip, humming in satisfaction. Franny nervously sat down without another word, looking intently upon the genius man in front of her. He reciprocated her stare for a moment before beginning. "I think I know why you've been acting this way."

Franny creased her brows. "You-you do?" she said confused.

"Yes," he said matter-of-factly. He shook his head and half smiled. "Franny, sweetheart," he looked her directly in the eye. "I think you're pregnant."

Franny's eyes widened; she said nothing for several agonizingly long moments until finally, she said, "I'm…I'm what?"

"Now, I didn't say you were. I just said I _think_ you're pregnant."

She blinked. "Why do you think that?"

"Because," he sighed, opening the top drawer and pulling something out. He laid the small object in front of her and watched with satisfaction as her eyes filled with realization. "You haven't been taking these."

Franny eyed the pack of pills. Suddenly her eyes filled with tears. "Oh my God! I'm such an idiot…" she began, being cut off by her own sobbing.

"Franny?"

"I must've-forgotten-about them," she managed to gasp out.

Cornelius, despite watching his wife break down in front of him, smiled. "Franny, it's okay. You were just caught up in the excitement of our honeymoon. Don't beat yourself up." She sniffled. "Come here," he said, patting his leg. Franny got up and slowly made her way to the other side, tentatively sitting on his lap. "Also because of your intense mood swings. And," he said, brushing a strand of hair out of her face, "because, who eats ketchup on chocolate cake?"

She blushed. "You mean you're not mad? I mean we've been married barely a month and you think I'm already knocked up."

Cornelius let out a laugh, placing his forehead against his wife's. "Franny, please don't say 'knocked up.' We're married."

Franny looked at him with so much love written on her expression that Cornelius couldn't help but pull her in for a kiss. "Why are you so good to me?" she asked, bringing her hand up to caress his face.

"Because I love you and I believe you to be carrying my child," he whispered. He felt something in him swell as he said the last part, and he couldn't resist putting his hand on her belly to make his point. They both looked at his hand for a moment, then looked back up at each other, their eyes now both full of tearful joy.

"Francesca Robinson?" a petite blonde woman called, looking down at a clipboard. It had been a week or so since Cornelius' revelation; he had her take an at home pregnancy test but was making her get a doctor's opinion for good measure.

Franny stood up and looked down at Cornelius' hand in hers before moving her gaze to his blue eyes. He smiled up at her, sensing the tension radiating from her. "It'll be okay," he whispered, kissing her hand. She beamed at him, squeezing his hand back.

She turned and walked toward the woman. "Franny, please," she said with her usual charm.

After the nurse got Franny's information and submit her samples for her tests, she led her to an exam room. The woman handed her a paper robe and said, "Dr. Shelton will be right with you." She closed the door, leaving Franny a nervous wreck.

After she changed into the robe, Franny sat on the exam table and looked around. There were pictures of young women around her age, smiling and carefree, as well as diagrams of the uterus and all the inner workings of the woman's anatomy. She noticed there were several ads and brochures for birth control, and a guilty feeling swept over her.

She started biting her nails, thinking of all the possible outcomes: A. She was pregnant. Okay, not too bad. B. She was not pregnant and just experiencing some bizarre illness. Not good.

Just as her brain was coming up with more possibilities, there was a knock on the door. The doctor barely waited five seconds before opening the door.

"Francesca, Dr. Shelton," a woman in her mid-forties said, extending her hand. She smiled at Franny as she shook the hand in front of her.

"Oh, please, call me Franny."

"Franny," she said, correcting herself, jotting it down on the clipboard in her hand. Dr. Shelton sat down in a chair and said, "So, what are you here for today?"

"Well, I-I mean, my husband, thinks I'm pregnant."

"Your husband?" the doctor asked. "You don't think you're pregnant?" Confusion was written all over her face but was mixed with amusement.

"No, I do think I am. It's just that my husband had the suspicion first. He's a very observant man," she said, smiling fondly.

"I see," Dr. Shelton replied. "Well, first I'm going to ask you a few questions, and then your test results should be ready. Okay," she said, holding the clipboard up, "are you on birth control?"

"I was," Franny replied.

"You were? Were you advised to stop taking it?"

"No. I may have…forgotten about it during my honeymoon."

"I see. Next, have you been experiencing fatigue?"

"Yes."

"Have you noticed any abnormal food cravings or changes in your diet?"

Franny recalled the ketchup smothered chocolate cake and shuddered. "Oh, yes."

"Have you been experiencing mood swings more intense than normal?"

"I have."

"Very good," Dr. Shelton said, all the while scribbling on her clipboard. She continued to ask a few more questions, getting all the answers she was expecting. "Okay," she said standing up and heading for the door. "I will be right back, so just sit tight." Franny half smiled and nodded. Before Dr. Shelton opened the door, she looked at Franny softly. "Hey, whatever happens, it's going to be fine," she said reassuringly.

As the doctor left the room, Franny grabbed her purse and rummaged around until she found her cell phone. It had dinged a few minutes ago, signaling she had gotten a text. She smiled as she read:

(Cornelius): I love you, darling. No matter what happens.

Heart swelling with love, Franny texted back:

(Franny): I love you more, sweetheart. I'll let you know when I find something out.

She ended the text with a kissing emoji.

Her phone dinged again.

(Cornelius): No rush, darling. I'll wait for you. ?

Franny was about to text him back when Dr. Shelton came back into the small room. Franny threw her phone back into her purse as though a teacher had caught her texting during class.

Dr. Shelton was smiling softly as she sat down in her chair again. "Okay, Franny. I'm going to ask you one very important question." Franny nodded, waiting. "Do you want to be pregnant?"

"What an odd question," Franny retorted.

"It may seem that way, but your answer greatly affects how you're going to feel about your test results."

Franny took a deep breath, thinking for a moment, then said, "Oh, yes. I would love to have a baby."

Franny held her breath as Dr. Shelton paused. After a moment of silence, Franny was beginning to think the worst when suddenly Dr. Shelton broke out into a huge grin. "Well, then congratulations, Franny. You're pregnant," she said patting Franny's knee.

Cornelius sat in the waiting room for what seemed like a very long time. He had texted Franny back, but she hadn't answered yet. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat just as his phone began to ring rather loudly in the quiet waiting area. Cursing quietly to himself as unapproving glares were shot at him, he quickly hit the answer button and said, "Yes, hello? This is Cornelius Robinson."

"Ah, Mr. Robinson. This is Dr. Ekhardt."

Cornelius immediately straightened up. "Dr. Ekhardt, yes. I've been hoping to hear from you… But, sir…" Cornelius sighed. "Yes, sir. I'll-I'll be right down."

"Excellent," Dr. Ekhardt said, hanging up before Cornelius could reply.

Cornelius stood and began pacing when Franny and Dr. Shelton emerged from the triage door. He couldn't help but notice they were both grinning from ear to ear, and the mere sight of his wife this happy took his breath away. He looked at her for a moment, the question written all over his face. Franny met his gaze and simply nodded. Overjoyed, he ran over to her and picked her up, spinning her. "I knew it!"

Suddenly there was a chorus of shushes from around the waiting room. Cornelius rolled his eyes and kissed his wife. After a moment he pulled away and said, "Franny, I know this is terrible timing, but I need to get to Inventco asap."

Franny merely kissed his cheek and replied, "Okay, honey. You do what you need to do."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: It took me a good minute to get this chapter written (I know it's a little shorter than usual, but what can you do?). This particular chapter has a moment in it that originally made me want to write this story (at the very end of the chapter). I hope you can see where this story is going now. lol

P.S., I really do appreciate it when my work is recognized. Always a great feeling! :)

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Meet the Robinsons

Enjoy!

Chapter 4: Good News and Bad

May 2020

"Franny!" Cornelius called, swinging the front door to the Robinson mansion open. He ran inside, frantically pulling off his lab coat while running into the kitchen. "Franny!" he called again.

"What is it Cornelius?" a high-pitched voice asked behind him. The young inventor whipped around, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Mom, where's Franny? I have amazing news."

Lucille chuckled, turning back to the oven to check on her chocolate chip cookies. "I think she's upstairs, honey." Determining the cookies were done, she reached in with an industrial strength oven mitt (that, of course, Cornelius had made specially for her) and set them on a cooling rack. "So, what's the big news? Care to tell your dear, sweet mother?" Lucille said, winking at her son.

"Mom, you'll never believe it," Cornelius began. A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Actually…on second thought, I think I'll just make my announcement at dinner."

"Oh. Okay, honey. It's your announcement." She smiled as he kissed her cheek and left the kitchen.

Cornelius made his way up the huge flight of stairs, looking around every corner for any sign of Franny. Eventually, after not finding her anywhere, he decided she must be in their bedroom. He reached for the handle to the door and froze, second-guessing the sound coming from behind the door. He couldn't tell exactly what he was hearing, but the sound had been so sweet upon meeting his ears that he instantly wanted more.

He opened the door just a crack and peeked in. Sitting on the couch on the far end of the room was Franny laying casually on the couch rubbing her tummy and…singing? Cornelius knew his wife loved all things music, but he had never really heard her sing. At least, not like this. She smiled down at her abdomen, rubbing lazy circles while singing "You are my Sunshine." Cornelius believed in that moment that he was witnessing an angel. The scene before him was so heartbreakingly beautiful that he didn't realize her angelic voice had drawn him into the room to stand behind the couch.

Franny, continuing her song, smiled up at Cornelius. It took everything in him not to melt into a puddle in front of her.

Franny finished her song, punctuating it by kissing her hand and placing it on her belly. She looked up and met her husband's gaze. "Hi, honey," she said as he leaned down to kiss her softly.

"I don't think I've ever heard you sing."

"Oh. Well, how'd I do?"

"You sound like an angel," she said, making his way around the couch. Franny sat up, so Cornelius could sit behind her, then relaxed into his arms.

"You're just saying that," she said, waving a dismissive hand at him.

"You're right," he said, smiling into her hair. She gasped and turned around, lightly batting him on the arm. He laughed. "Franny, I was kidding."

"And to think, I was going to name him Lewis," she sighed.

"He?" Cornelius asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't know yet. Dr. Shelton says it's too early to tell, but I just have this feeling, you know?"

Cornelius did know; he could just see Wilbur laughing and saying, "That is an excellent point." He smiled fondly at the image. "Yeah." A moment of silence passed before either spoke again.

"So why did you have to run to the office after my appointment?"

Cornelius bit back a smile; he didn't want to ruin the surprise. "Oh, um…There was an emergency meeting and Dr. Ekhardt said it was imperative I attend." It wasn't a total lie, but he wasn't going to spill the beans just yet.

"An emergency meeting? They couldn't have dealt with whatever problem they were having without you?"

"I'm afraid not. This particular meeting called for my expertise."

Franny chuckled and rolled her eyes. "So modest," she joked. Cornelius smiled warmly down at her and kissed the top of her head.

"Of course. And by the way, I think tonight's dinner will be very memorable."

"Really?" She paused. "You know, I was just thinking. I want to announce our little miracle," she said smiling down at her belly again.

"Really? You don't think it's a bit too early?"

"No. I mean, it's not like we're announcing it to the world. We'd just be telling the family."

Cornelius contemplated it for a moment, biting the inside of his lower lip. After deliberating for another minute, he finally said, "Okay, sweetheart. If that's what you want."

Cornelius had never looked directly at the sun, but he imagined it couldn't be nearly as bright as the smile Franny had on her face at that moment. He reciprocated the expression and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Ahem," Cornelius grunted, tapping his spoon against his glass. The laughter and food throwing continued, so he tapped the glass a bit louder. "Ahem!" Everyone stopped what they were doing to glare at him for interrupting their fun. "Thank you. I apologize for interjecting, but I have an announcement. A rather big announcement." The family eyed him curiously as he continued. "As you all know I've been working very hard at Inventco, putting in extra hours and sucking up to my boss." He chuckled. "Well, today," he paused for affect. "Today it's finally paid off." Every set of eyebrows in the room was now practically touching the ceiling; everyone leaned forward, listening intently. "Today, Robinson Industries officially bought out Inventco. I am now the owner of my own corporation." There were gasps and whoops and suddenly there was liquid being spilled over heads and a pair of lips being pressed on his.

"Congratulations, son!" Bud said, walking over to pat Cornelius on the back.

"That's wonderful, honey!" Lucille called from somewhere within the chaos.

"Thank you, thank you," Cornelius said, motioning with his hands for everyone to settle down. "But that's not my only announcement." He smiled down at Franny, extending his hand to help her stand. "Sweetheart, would you like to tell them?"

"I would love to." Franny looked around the table, meeting each gaze as she passed. "Everyone. I know our family is crazy and that this house is filled to the brim with nothing but love and support for one another, but honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. So, I hope you all don't mind that," she smiled up at Cornelius, "we'll soon be adding to the chaos."

The family gasped; no one spoke for what seemed like an eternity.

"You're pregnant?" squealed Lucille.

Franny looked at her excitable mother-in-law. "Yes." She giggled, overflowing with joy. "I'm pregnant."

"Boy, that sure does explain a lot," Bud said. The family burst out laughing.

Suddenly the cheering resumed and didn't stop until it was time to disperse.

10:30

"Mmm, Franny. That was amazing," Cornelius said, trying to catch his breath.

She sucked a final time and was pleased with herself when a gasp escaped his lips. Her brown eyes looked up at him from under her eyelashes as he untangled his hands from her hair. Water trickled down her tresses and onto her back before finally splashing on the shower floor. She smirked as she stood back up. "I'm glad you thought so," she said, standing on her toes to kiss him. Franny had been reading quite a bit lately (and not just the classics) and was dying to try certain things on her husband.

Cornelius smiled against her lips, reaching to turn off the showerhead. "Where did you learn how to do that?" he asked, slowly moving his hands downward on her back.

Franny smirked and said, "Let's just say I did my research." She winked and quickly stepped out of the shower. Cornelius pouted at the sudden empty space in his arms and swiftly followed after her.

Franny, now wrapped in her favorite fuzzy green robe, climbed under the sheets and sighed contentedly into her pillow. She watched as Cornelius dried himself with a towel, slipped on a pair of light blue pajama pants, then slid into bed next to her. He held out his harm and she snuggled into his side.

Cornelius reached over and hit a button on the wall, effectively turning out all the lights in the room. "Goodnight, Franny," he whispered, kissing her forehead. She hummed, and he presumed she was almost asleep.

Cornelius closed his eyes and drifted off.

 _"You're not the boss of me!"_

 _"Yes, I am! You're twelve and I'm thirteen. That makes me older!"_

Cornelius turned over in his sleep, his eyes moving rapidly behind closed lids.

 _"Wait, Wilbur…what year is this?" Lewis asked as his new friend led him down the hallway toward the dining room._

 _"2037."_

 _"I'm thirteen!"_

Cornelius frowned in his sleep.

 _"2037…"_

 _"Thirteen…"_

Suddenly his eyes shot open; he looked over at Franny, then up toward the ceiling. He furrowed his brows, realizing that something wasn't adding up.

Wilbur, his future son, had taken him to the year 2037 when he was just thirteen.

Cornelius did a quick calculation in his head, his eyes widening. Wilbur was thirteen in 2037, which meant he couldn't have been born until at least 2024. Then again, he very distinctly remembered his future self telling his younger self that nothing was set in stone. Still…

Cornelius looked over to his wife who was sleeping peacefully facing the other wall. All at once an all-encompassing feeling of dread washed over his entire being. Something wasn't adding up and he was bound and determined to figure out what.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: First I just want to say thank you for the great reviews! I started this fic not really expecting too much, and have been pleasantly surprised with the response. :) I apologize that it took a few days to get this chapter up; I am loving where this story is going and I want to update as frequently as I can, but this chapter was one of those that took me a minute to figure out. I promise I'll get more chapters up soon.

Disclaimer: I seriously don't own Meet the Robinsons

Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Blast from the Future

June 2020

Cornelius Robinson was a brilliant man; he had won countless awards for his ingenious inventions, owned his own company, and had even written a few physics and science textbooks for universities. He was by not means stupid, but for the life of him he could not figure out why Franny's pregnancy was bothering him so. He had started staying up deep into the night (a habit he had promised Franny he would quit once they got married), pacing the lab floor until exhaustion would overtake him and he would collapse into his desk chair.

He wasn't upset that Franny was pregnant, after all maybe Wilbur was just one of those things that just happened when they happened. It was a possibility, but Cornelius had a feeling in his gut that something was not right. Wilbur had visited him several times after the science fair ordeal, always the same mischievous thirteen-year-old through and through, even if years had gone by between the years.

Cornelius sighed, rubbing his tired eyes under his glasses, the lamplight softly illuminating his face. He felt guilty; he had left Franny sleeping peacefully even though he sworn he wouldn't start up this awful habit again. But he couldn't help it. Not when something like this unsolvable conundrum hung over his head like a storm cloud.

A hand came down and picked up a pen, the other drawing a piece of scratch paper near and began scribbling unintelligible notes across it. His brow furrowed as the equation he was writing out began making no sense and scratched it out, starting a new one. Just as he was about to crack some unknown code, Cornelius was startled out of his thoughts as a _"CLACK"_ hit the window in the lab.

"What the?" Cornelius mumbled to himself, turning his head to look out the window, not able to make anything out in the darkness outside. He exhaled and turned back to the paper.

 _"CLACK."_

Cornelius' back stiffened.

 _"CLACK."_

Cornelius stood, causing the chair to slide backwards, and threw his pen down. He turned and shuffled to the window, opening a panel just a crack.

"Coo coo."

Cornelius felt his mouth drop. "What are you doing here? In the middle of the night?" he said, glancing at his watch.

The boy chuckled as he pushed the panel open more and jumped through. "That is an excellent question. And it's nice to see you, too, _dad_ ," Wilbur smirked. "You know, you look more and more like yourself every time I see you."

Cornelius shook his head and laughed. "I should've known."

"Yeah, you should've," Wilbur agreed, leaning back on the desk Cornelius was just sitting at. Cornelius rolled his eyes and closed the window. "What can I say, I must take after you."

"Oh, really?" Cornelius asked sarcastically. "Gee, I couldn't tell. It is three in the morning, after all."

"Hey, it's the middle of summer vacation. I don't have school tomorrow and, I don't know. I just felt like stopping by."

"Okay, but is there a reason?"

"Is there ever one?"

"Actually, yeah. Usually there is. There was that time with the science fair, the time you forced me to come with you to see Albert Einstein…I could go on all night."

Wilbur half smiled. "Okay, but I didn't hear you complaining when Al explained his theory of relativity in person." Cornelius shot Wilbur a pointed look. "Okay, okay. Point taken. But really, this time I did just feel like stopping by." He looked down at his fingernails as he picked at them, a motion he usually only did when he was worried (which Cornelius would eventually figure out, of course).

After a moment of silence, Cornelius said, "Really? You just wanted to stop by and visit? For absolutely not ulterior motives?"

Wilbur lifted his hand like he was about to say something witty but stopped and instead rubbed the back of his neck. He sighed. "Okay, that's not entirely true."

"Mmhmm."

"You told me to come."

Cornelius stared at Wilbur, his tired eyes now attentive. "I did? Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. You just said it was very important I come and visit you today and to not come back until…um, I actually don't remember. I stopped listening after you told me to take the time machine."

Cornelius huffed, crossing his arms. "Wilbur, if you came to pester me, you've succeeded."

"Hey, I take offense to that."

"I don't have time for this," Cornelius said, yanking the chair back to the desk and going right back to his equations.

Wilbur hesitated to say anything; even in the future his dad was an extremely patient man, only ever getting angry with Wilbur for breaking something or attempting to sneak out (he was a teenager after all). After a moment, he reached out to touch his dad's shoulder, which only made Cornelius jerk and scoot his chair away. "Dad?"

"What?!" Cornelius snapped.

Wilbur took a frightened step away. "Whoa, I didn't mean to upset you-"

"Well, right now you're in my way," he said, standing up and guiding Wilbur back to the window.

"What did I do?" Wilbur argued.

Cornelius stopped at the window panel, shoulders tense. He looked at Wilbur, eyes wide and afraid-of him, no less-and balled his hands into fists. Wilbur was there, the exact same thirteen-year-old boy from the year 2037. He reached up and grabbed his hair, all the while cursing to himself about "Why can't I figure this out?" and "I'm going mad."

Wilbur could do nothing but stare up at his father, terrified for the sanity of the man in front of him. It took everything in him not to jump out the window and back into the time machine, but he knew for his father's sake he couldn't leave him like this. Squaring his shoulders, Wilbur reached out both arms and grabbed Cornelius' wrists. "Dad!" he said, effectively forcing the man back into reality and out of his breakdown. "What's wrong?"

Cornelius met Wilbur's gaze for a moment, eyes beginning to water, then looked at the floor. He gently pulled his hands out of Wilbur's grasp and turned his back to him. He took a deep breath and said, "I'll be right back. You can stay. For a little bit," then walked out.

Wilbur reclined in the desk chair, his feet propped up on the desk chair and his hands behind his head. He started whistling to himself, looking around the room; everything was so…unfinished. He glimpsed a few black tubes connected to the ceiling in the far corner, what he could only presume was a prototype of the travel tubes. Close to that sat a rather large, rough looking ray of some sort. Wilbur squinted at it, trying to figure out what it was, but eventually gave up when he heard footsteps outside the door.

He was a smart kid; he had hung out with his old man enough times to know that sometimes he just needed to walk away from the situation to properly analyze and comprehend. He had witnessed his young father have meltdowns many times, but it had never gotten this bad; Wilbur had never seen his Cornelius flustered and frustrated to the point of ripping his own hair out. But there, a few feet away by the window, lay a small clump of blond hair. Wilbur shook his head and looked toward the entrance to the lab when he heard the door click.

Cornelius calmly made his way up the stairs, a coffee cup in each hand. When he reached the desk, he sat a cup down in front of Wilbur. "Thirsty?" he grunted.

Wilbur looked up at Cornelius, confusion written all over his young complexion. "You're giving me coffee?"

"Should I not be?" his dad asked, turning and sitting on the couch that had recently been brought in-for those nights when Cornelius would work until he could barely move and ended up crashing on it, which seemed to be happening a lot lately.

Deciding against explaining to his now adult father how people don't usually give a kid his age coffee, especially in the middle of the night, Wilbur tentatively reached his hand out. A smile threatened to break out on his face. "That is an excellent question," he said, grabbing the cup and bringing it to his lips. He sniffed it first, making sure it was to his liking, and took a sip. "Mm. This is good. Thanks, dad."

"Mhm," Cornelius mumbled, taking a sip himself.

Wilbur bit his bottom lip, setting the cup back down. He twisted the chair around to face his father. "Dad?"

Cornelius sighed. "Wilbur, this is going to sound very strange and somewhat random, but…I don't know how to ask this," he said, rubbing the side of his face.

Wilbur cocked his head. "What?"

Cornelius exhaled, biting the inside of his lip. "Never mind."

"Okay?" Wilbur asked, gulping down the beverage.

Feeling frustration coming on again, Cornelius balled his free hand into a fist, then released it. He dropped his head into his hand for a moment, collecting his thoughts, then looked up at the young man in front of him. "You look so much like Franny," he muttered.

Wilbur chuckled. "I came all the way back here for you to tell me I look like my mom?"

The smile that was forming on Cornelius' face suddenly dropped, a question coming to the forefront of his mind. "Wilbur, why don't you have any siblings?"

Wilbur opened his mouth, then closed it, not knowing how to answer. He lifted his hand again as if to say something witty, but thought better of it, seeing how pitiful his father looked right now. Instead he rubbed the back of his neck, bringing his feet to the floor. "To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know. You and mom never really talk about having more kids and I," he cut himself off. Cornelius lifted an eyebrow. "I never really asked."

"Oh," Cornelius said, his heart falling in disappointment. He guessed he had been hoping Wilbur would be able to solve the problem eating away at him.

"I mean, I think I asked for a little brother when I was like, four, but I don't really remember much after." He shrugged. "I gave up asking after that."

Cornelius set his coffee cup down on the ground next to his feet, then intertwined his hands, bringing them up to his mouth. "Oh," he said again.

"Yeeeah," Wilbur said, stretching as he stood up. "Well, this has been a stimulating conversation, but you told me to only stay to give you a message."

"Wait, you're leaving? Already?" Cornelius said, feeling panic rising in his chest. What if this was it? What if this was the last time he would ever see Wilbur like this? Was he overreacting? Why couldn't he figure out the damn space time continuum?!

"Whoa, calm down," Wilbur said, seeing the fear on etched on his dad's face. He walked over to Cornelius, placing a hand on each shoulder. Cornelius stood, realizing for the first time since Wilbur arrived just how small the young boy was. Sadness replaced fear as Cornelius gently wrapped his arms around Wilbur, who immediately froze. "Dad? Is everything okay?"

"Wilbur," Cornelius said quietly, one last question nagging him to be answered. "How old are you?"

Instead of trying to get away, Wilbur slowly wrapped his arms around Cornelius' waist, partly because he was afraid that if he left his father would literally shatter into a thousand pieces, and partly because he genuinely missed his father's love and attention. Older Cornelius was so busy in the future with work, work, and more work that he hardly seemed to have time for his own son anymore. Wilbur sighed. "Still thirteen," he said into his dad's sweater vest. He smiled slightly; after all these years, he still hadn't outgrown the fashion faux pas.

Wilbur felt Cornelius stiffen, his grip subconsciously tightening around him. "I thought so. And…what year are you going back to?"

"2037. Like I always do."

"Oh." For a man with incomparable intelligence, Cornelius was not very eloquent now. "And…you said you had a message for me?"

Wilbur let his arms drop and took a step back, Cornelius' hands still on his upper arms. "Yeah. You told me to tell you 'It'll all make sense soon.'" He shrugged. "Whatever that means."

Cornelius frowned. "You came all the way back here to tell me that?"

"Yeah. Kinda cryptic, but that's what you told me to say."

The older man yanked his hands away from the boy's arms, taking a step back to look at him. His eyes, Wilbur noted, were sunken in with the beginnings of deep purple bags underneath. Cornelius groaned and started rubbing his face again. "Great. Apparently, this bugs me all the way into the year 2037," he said, slowly sinking back into the couch. He sighed and dropped his hands. "Well, I suppose you should be going now, considering you've done what you came here for." He didn't truly want Wilbur to leave, but right now he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. His infuriating thoughts.

Wilbur nodded and yawned. "Yeah. It's getting pretty late." He turned and started toward the window, then paused to look back over his shoulder at Cornelius. "Hey, dad?"

"Yeah?"

"I'll see you around." He shot Cornelius a quick smile before he hopped out the window.

Cornelius lifted the corner of his mouth halfheartedly at Wilbur, then stood and walked over to the desk. He grabbed a scratch sheet of paper and scribbled down the date, then stuffed it in the desk drawer before going back to the couch and drifting into dreamless sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: It took me a day or two to finish up this chapter. I had to re-revise it a couple times. I know very little about science, so part of this chapter I just winged it (winged it? wung it?). Since it did take me a bit, I'll try to get chapter 7 up soon, considering I already have it written up. I just have to edit it.

Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed re-writing it. lol

Disclaimer: Seriously, I don't own Meet the Robinsons

Enjoy!

Chapter 6: One of those Days

June 2020

Franny Robinson jolted awake, the nightmare slowly fading. She gasped for air, holding onto her chest as if to steady her heartrate. She sat up in bed for a moment, calming herself, then laid back. The young brunette rolled over, reaching a hand out to pull her husband close, only to find an empty space.

"Cornelius?" she said, her voice gravelly from sleep. There was no reply. "Honey?" she said, this time panic rising in her throat. She hastily clicked on a lamp and looked at his side of the bed; the covers were wrinkled and tossed to the side, indicating he most likely hadn't been able to sleep and made his escape a few hours prior. She sighed, realizing the sun was barely sticking out over the horizon. "What am I going to do with him?"

Franny tossed the covers off herself and dragged herself out of bed, knowing she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. It seemed like all she was having lately was nightmares, and not the "monsters in your closet" nightmares, either. No, these dreams were far too vivid and realistic, but once she woke up she could never remember what they were about. Usually when she awoke from a night terror, Cornelius would immediately sense something was wrong, waking from his own peaceful sleep. He would pull her close, wiping away her tears as she drifted back to sleep. Now it seemed like he was never around to comfort her anymore and it was beginning to bother her.

Of course, Franny knew Cornelius was a very busy man-that happens when you're as successful as he, especially at such a young age-and she knew better than to ask him to come back to bed some nights. But on nights like this, she greatly yearned for her husband's affection.

Franny checked the time-5:46 A.M. She rubbed sleep out of her eyes as she pulled on a red dress with white pinstripes, slid on her heels, and made her way downstairs.

As soon as she hit the bottom step, she instantly regretted it.

"Franny! Franny! Look at my new dress I got yesterday!" young Tallulah said, tugging on her cousin's dress.

"Pff. That's nothing. Look at my painting," Lazlo said, holding up a remarkably well-done picture. Ah, the wonderful sound of siblings competing for attention. Franny knew that sound all too well.

Franny forced a smile. "They both look great. Why are you awake?"

"Mom and dad are taking us to the zoo today. They told us to get up early."

Fritz came down the stairs grunting while Petunia belittled him with each step. He yawned, seemingly ignoring her.

"Oh, well that sounds exciting. You kids have fun, okay. I'm going to go look for Cornelius."

"He already left for work, dear," Lucille's soft voice said interrupting her thoughts. Franny turned to face her mother-in-law, seeing Art sipping something out of a mug behind her.

"What are you doing up this early? I thought it was your day off," Franny said addressing her brother.

Art shook his head. "I couldn't sleep with all the noise." Franny smiled at him knowingly. She loved her cousins, but they were always bickering from the moment they woke up.

Franny looked back at Lucille. "He's already left? He doesn't usually leave until six."

Her mother-in-law nodded. "I saw him on his way out this morning. He left about an hour ago. Said he had a very important project at work he needed to work on." Lucille smiled, seeing the disappointed shadow on the young brunette's face. She put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay, dear. Would you like some breakfast? I'm making pancakes."

Franny crossed her arms and half smiled. "Pancakes sound lovely."

"I told you, Dr. Ekhardt, these blueprints are incorrect. I would know because _I designed them_ ," Cornelius said, spreading out a design for his newest invention; the flying car, he believed, would his greatest invention yet, but so far none of his young employees or interns seemed to be able to share his vision.

Dr. Ekhardt, a balding heavier set man in his mid-fifties, stood a few feet away from the blonde inventor's desk, knowing if he stepped into the crossfire he would get burned. "Cornelius, we've looked over these designs a dozen times. The thrust would simply not be enough force to get this thing off the ground. It would have to weight about a ton less than what your design shows."

Cornelius scowled at the older man. "Did you just come up here to tell me I'm wrong?" He looked back at the paper, frowning. "No, no, no. The math is all wrong. Who did you have look draw this up?"

The older man looked Cornelius up and down. "Robert Berkman, like you instructed Mr. Robinson."

Cornelius growled in frustration. "I hired him for his exceptional credentials and he can't even get the math correct on a diagram I designed? He has one job, which is to draw up blueprints," he said, throwing his hands up into the air. "Where's the original design?"

Dr. Ekhardt took a hesitant step back. "I believe it got shredded." Cornelius' face turned red. "Cornelius, are you okay?"

Cornelius ran his hand through his hair, exhaling through his nose. It was like the universe was conspiring against him to make him go insane. "Just peachy. Why do you ask?"

"Well, for one thing I've never heard you speak poorly of anyone, intern or otherwise. For another, your face is beat red. Is something wrong, other than this design?"

Cornelius balled his hands into fists and shoved them into his pockets. "No. Maybe. I don't know," he said, flopping down into his desk chair. "I may own this company, but I still have deadlines, and the prototype hasn't even been started yet."

Dr. Ekhardt nodded. "Of course, sir." He paused. "Trouble with the wife?" he asked knowingly, the face on Cornelius' the same he made when his wife constantly nagged him.

Cornelius shot him daggers. "Why would you even assume that I'm having marital problems? Franny and I have never been happier."

The older man's face paled as he stood there, unable to move. "Oh, I-I'm sorry. You just…seemed upset is all. You know how women can be," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, I don't know. My wife has nothing to do with my frustration." Cornelius was getting angry; how dare someone even suggest the notion that his wife would make him unhappy? He had never been happier in his life since he married the woman of his dreams.

"Point taken," Dr. Ekhardt said, his voice slightly shaking. "I guess I'll be going then."

He turned to go, but Cornelius stopped him. "Yes. And take this damn blueprint back to Berkman and make tell him I said to correct this mess," he said, crumpling the paper and tossing it to Ekhardt. The older man caught in and bolted out the door.

Cornelius sat fuming; why no one seemed to be doing there job correctly today was beyond him. He pinched the bridge of his nose, then peeked over his round glasses to look at the frame on his desk. He hummed as he picked it up, his thumb moving over the image of him and Franny on their wedding day. He smiled, remembering just how soft her lips had been under his as they had their first kiss as husband and wife, the image now permanently captured in the picture frame.

A soft smile played on Cornelius' lips as he set the photograph back down. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, hitting the holo-call button. It rang three times before she finally answered, her face projected above the small black phone.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, a huge grin on her face. "How's work?"

He sighed. "It's work." Cornelius noticed the white coat she was wearing. "What are you up to?"

"I just happened to be in the lab today and I think I might've just had a breakthrough," she said eagerly.

"Should you be in the lab? You're pregnant," he said, concerned.

"I haven't touched a single chemical all day," she chuckled, holding up her hand in an honorary fashion. "Anyway, did you need something? You don't usually call me from work."

Cornelius looked sheepish. "No, not really. It's just-it's been a rough day and I needed a pick-me-up."

"Oh, so I'm the pick-me-up?" she smirked.

He shrugged. "Maybe." She stared at him, leaning against one hand, waiting for him to continue. "It just seems like nothing today wants to cooperate with me. First the car almost broke down on me this morning, then Berkman screws up my blueprints…maybe I should just go home. See if it gets better tomorrow." She waited for him to continue. He tapped his finger on the desk, mentally deciding on it. "Yeah. I'm coming home. I'll be there soon."

She nodded, smiling softly. "Okay, honey. I love you," she said, blowing him a kiss.

He pretended to catch it and replied, "I love you more." He disconnected the call.

Cornelius pushed a button on his desk and said into a microphone, "Attention, Robinson Industries. This is Cornelius Robinson. I'm leaving for the day, so just remember: Keep Moving Forward!" He took his hand off the button, grabbed his briefcase and left.

Cornelius walked up to the front door and was just about to open it when a rather young-looking man popped out from a potted plant, causing Cornelius to jump about a foot in the air.

"Hey, you should ring my doorbell," the one on the right said.

"No, ring this one," an identical man said from the other potted plant across the way.

Cornelius did a double take; where did they come from? They weren't there before he left for work. Suddenly a memory from the very depths of his brain reminded him that their names were Spike and Dimitri. He mentally slapped himself; how could he forget about them?

"Spike, Dimitri," Cornelius said, reaching for the doorknob again. "I live here. I don't ring doorbells."

Both men instantly quit their bickering and stared at him. "Hey, we didn't tell you our names."

He smirked at them. "I know everything," he said, closing the door behind him. "I'm home," he called, hanging his coat up on a rack.

"Hey, son," Bud said, coming out of the kitchen. "You're home early today."

Cornelius shrugged. "I couldn't concentrate. Where's Franny? Still up in the lab?"

"Oh, yeah. She's been in there all day. Hasn't even come down for lunch."

"Thanks, dad," Cornelius said over his shoulder, already ascending the stairs.

"Franny?" he called out, opening the door to the lab. He climbed up the stairs and spotted her at a table slouched over a notepad. The young inventor tiptoed over to his wife, leaning over her shoulder and kissing her cheek. "You know," he said, laughing when she jumped a foot in the air. "You look incredibly sexy in a lab coat."

Franny turned around and lightly slapped him on his chest. "Cornelius," she groaned. "You know better than to sneak up on a black belt."

"Yeah, but it's still funny," he said, pulling her in for a kiss. When he pulled away he said, "You said you had a breakthrough? Let's hear it," he said excitedly, ready to put the day's stresses on the back burner.

Franny's heart fluttered at the way Cornelius looked at her when she talked about her frogs. He had never once called her crazy, only that she was right, which was why she fell in love with him in the first place. She nodded eagerly, walking over to a table and pulling a frog out of a large tank, her heels clicking the entire way. Cornelius cocked his head; he could tell her feet were slightly swollen, yet she refused to wear sensible shoes. He smiled. Stubborn woman.

"I was thinking earlier about how bodybuilders often use steroids to increase their muscle mass. Well, then I thought, what if I injected a tiny portion directly into their vocal sacs. I've been looking at diagrams all week of frog anatomy, so I would know where to inject, and, well…have a listen." She held up the frog the way a child would present a new toy, eyes wide and cheeks red from grinning.

Cornelius looked at her intently as she spoke, listening closely to every word. He nodded his head, intrigued with the idea of using external hormones to increase the function of the frogs' vocal cords.

"Go on, Donnie, sing for me," Franny coaxed the frog, stroking its back. It croaked. "Hmm, maybe if I turned on some music he'll respond," she said, putting a song on the jukebox that sat in the corner. A tune began playing softly for a minute or so, the frog seeming to croak along to the music. Then suddenly came a long "La" from its mouth. Franny and Cornelius gasped simultaneously and looked at each other. "It worked!" Franny shouted excitedly.

"This is fantastic, Franny," Cornelius said. "When did you think of that?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"I've actually been contemplating using hormones since you suggested modifying their DNA structure. I figured a more natural enhancement would work effectively," she said.

"I always knew you were right about this," Cornelius said, pride written on his face.

"Of course I'm right," Franny teased placing the frog gently back into the tank. "I'm always right." Cornelius snickered. "I think with a few more doses they'll be singing in no time."

Cornelius nodded. "We'll see how it goes. If it doesn't work, we can always try something else." Franny nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he said, his face falling slightly. At least Franny had had a productive day.

Sensing his change in mood, she took his hand in hers and looked up at him. "What is it, honey? You've been drawing into yourself lately. Where is your mind?"

He met her gaze, the warm expression projected upon him making him feel guilty. She was the only one who could see right through him, even when his mother couldn't (and she was an extremely perceptive woman). "I don't know. I wish I knew. It's just," he said, about to tell her that something about her pregnancy didn't feel right to him, but thought better of it and instead continued with, "everything at work is weighing heavily on my mind. Berkman completely messed up my blueprints for the flying car design, even though I told him specifically to copy down my exact equations." He sighed. "I think he might be trying to sabotage me. Now I have to do it all over again."

"Berkman? You mean that snobby little intern that just graduated from grad school?"

"Yes, that's the one. He thinks he knows everything," he grumbled.

Franny smiled, putting a hand on Cornelius' cheek. "Don't think about him. You're home now. Everything will work out, I promise," she said, pulling him down and touching her lips to his.

He very briefly deepened the kiss, then pressed their foreheads together. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"More than you will ever know," she said, bringing their lips together once more.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here it is, like promised. I know last chapter ended on kind of an odd note, but I promise it'll all make sense soon. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Meet the Robinsons

Don't forget to read and review! I always appreciate a kind word of motivation.

Thank you. :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 7: Gender Reveal

Mid-July 2020

Cornelius tried his very hardest from that day on to go to spend more time with his wife; he had realized that whenever he was away from her for too long his ideas became elementary and he couldn't concentrate on his work. He had fired Robert Berkman on the grounds of plagiarism several days ago, finding out he had tried to change a thing or two on the flying car design and attempted to slap his name on it. The kid had even had the gall to try to sell it to another inventions company. Fortunately for Cornelius, Robinson Industries was contracted with that same corporation, and had immediately let him go as soon as he was reported.

Cornelius had been furious when he found out; he had always been a kind and loyal superior, leading aspiring inventors into the future through his head work and desire to improve the world. Finding out an employee would betray him was like finding out his wife had cheated. It was a crushing blow, causing him to lose more sleep than normal. But he could never rest, the disloyalty now resting on his conscience replacing concern over Franny's pregnancy.

He vowed to be by Franny's side whenever he could be and swore up and down to her he would seriously try to stop staying up so late. Of course, there were nights when he would be drifting off to sleep, but would jolt awake, his mind restlessly calculating the impossible when it wasn't thinking about Berkman. Then there were nights like tonight, when every drop of sweat, every chest pain, and every fake smile was worth it.

Cornelius stroked his hand up and down Franny's bare back, smiling at the way goosebumps raised on her skin after each motion. She lay contentedly on her side, looking up at him. He couldn't resist leaning down and kissing her nose, making her giggle.

"I've been thinking," Franny said, her voice gravelly after making love for the third time in a row (who knew pregnant women were so insatiable?).

"Oh?" Cornelius asked, entwining their hands together.

"Mhm. I've been thinking about names."

"Really? I'm surprised you haven't had one picked out since you were in high school," he chuckled. "We don't even know the sex yet."

She nodded. "I know, but I chose a name for both. Just in case."

"Okay, let's hear it."

"So, Thomas if it's a boy and Matilda if it's a girl," she said, playing with the ring on his hand.

Cornelius hummed. "I like them," he said, tapping her nose. "May I suggest one?"

"Of course, honey. It's your baby, too," Franny said laughing.

"What about Wilbur," he said, tossing the name into the mix.

Franny tilted her head. "Wilbur?" The name felt funny on her tongue, yet oddly familiar.

Cornelius shrugged. "It's a good strong name. Wilbur Robinson. It just sounds so…established," he laughed.

Franny thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I do like it. Hm. Wilbur," she said, rubbing her hand over her belly. Cornelius put his hand over hers, gazing in awe at her tummy; she was a very thin woman, but she hadn't really started to show until recently, truly solidifying the fact that she was pregnant. He shimmied down and placed a kiss on her belly.

"And just for the record, if it is a girl, I love the name Matilda," he said, looking up at her. In his heart he felt he knew it was a boy, but like his future self had said, nothing is set in stone. Still that feeling of uncertainty hung over his head.

"I can't wait until tomorrow," she said excitedly. "I have a feeling it's a boy, but I wouldn't at all be upset if we were having a little princess."

"Okay, Franny. Go ahead and lift up your shirt for me," Dr. Shelton said, turning on the ultrasound machine.

Hands trembling slightly, she did as the doctor told her, her small baby bump looking very large in the cramped room. Of course, the entire Robinson family had come in for this appointment, not able to hide their curiosity over who was going to be joining the Robinson clan. They had decided to tag along the minute Franny had made the appointment.

Their guesses were split down the middle, the females in the house obviously rooting for a baby girl and the men hoping for a mini Cornelius. The inventor had heard them already taking bets when they were taken from the waiting room.

Cornelius looked at his wife, her eyes happy but her body tense. If her were being honest, he was probably more nervous than she was. This whole pregnancy had had him on edge for the past three months, but he was excited. After all he had always wanted a family of his own, and if it was a big family, well, the bigger the better, he thought. He squeezed her hand and she glanced at him before looking back at Dr. Shelton.

The machine warmed up as the doctor smeared clear gel on Franny's tummy. She grabbed the probe and began massaging it on Franny's belly. "Are you excited," Dr. Shelton said offhandedly.

"Could you tell?" Franny giggled. Cornelius had started noticing she would giggle whenever she was nervous, a trait that made his heart beat faster.

"Wonderful," the older woman said, the black and white image twirling around on the screen, which read "Baby Robinson" on top in white letters. They had chosen the old fashion route, opting out of the three-dimensional ultrasound, wanting to keep the baby's looks a surprise. "Okay," she said, pausing over a large white lump, measuring it with the tool in her hand and saying, "this is the head." The Robinsons looked intently at the screen, never disconnecting their gaze. Dr. Shelton continued finding new little body parts, measuring them, and announcing what they were. Finally, she asked, "Would you like to know the sex?" She laughed when they both nodded eagerly. She chuckled. "Are we rooting for a boy or girl?"

"Boy," they said without hesitation.

"Interesting," Dr. Shelton said smirking. "I hope you two aren't disappointed." Franny tilted her head. The doctor smiled. "Congratulations. It's a girl."

Franny's face lit up. "Really? Oh, honey," she said, looking up at Cornelius. "A girl!" she exclaimed.

Cornelius' body went completely still. All he could do was stare at Dr. Shelton as his stomach dropped. "A girl?" he whispered.

In that moment, Cornelius no longer suspected something was wrong; this time he knew. A horrible feeling passed over him as he stared at the black and white image on the screen. He saw Franny out of the corner of his eye smiling up at him so proudly, the look of "Look what we've made together" plastered on her face. He felt his heart break into a million pieces, almost foreseeing the heartbreak that would ensue. Wilbur still existed in the future, that much was certain; he was the one thing that did seem to be set in stone. Surely the future would have changed since Franny was already pregnant, but the thirteen-year-old had confirmed his suspicions, stating he was still an only child.

He looked down at Franny, trying his best to force a smile, because he knew, deep down, this baby was never meant to be.

A chorus of "Well?" came as soon as they came out of the triage. Cornelius rolled his eyes. "You know, you didn't _all_ need to come today," he mumbled.

"But we were curious," Tallulah said from her father's lap.

Franny was beaming. "It's a," she paused for dramatic effect. The room went silent, their eyes completely focused on the brunette, hanging on her every word. "Girl," she finally revealed, holding up the small ultrasound photograph.

"So, Franny," Bud said, taking a sip of his sparkling water. "Have you got a name picked out?"

Franny nodded. "Cornelius and I decided we like the name Matilda," she said, twirling her spaghetti onto her fork. A toy train raced around the table, stopping in front of her so she could grab the parmesan and pickles. "Carl, can I get some onions?" she said offhandedly, the glancing every few seconds over at her husband.

"You got it," Carl said, heading for the kitchen.

"She's so cute!" Tallulah said, holding the ultrasound photo away from her brother.

"I want to see," Lazlo said, reaching over her.

"Kids, please be careful with that," Franny said sternly.

"Sorry," they mumbled, sinking embarrassedly into their seats.

Lucille laughed at the kids' expressions before looking at Franny. "Oh, Matilda. What a lovely name," she commented, looking over at her son. He sat staring at his plate, spinning his fork mindlessly. "Cornelius?"

"Hmm?" he said, not looking up.

"You've barely touched your dinner. Is everything alright?"

He lifted his head and, now noticing everyone staring at him, faked a smile. He really wished people would stop asking him that. "I'm fine. Just tired is all. There's a lot of great things happening at work right now, big things," he lied.

"Okay, dear. Well, we're very excited for you and your upcoming work, but weren't you listening to our conversation at all?"

"What? Oh, yeah. Matilda. She'll fit in perfectly. Matilda Robinson," he rambled.

Franny laughed. "And here I was so sure it was going to be a boy." She took a bite of her pasta.

Cornelius felt his heart wrench. He had been so certain, even though it hadn't made any sense, that this baby would be male. The thought struck him: everything will make sense soon. He frowned. Wilbur was right, it was a cryptic message. Note to self: go back in time and give myself a pep talk, he thought bitterly.

He shook his head and forced himself to eat.

"Honey?" Franny said softly, pulling back the sheets on her side of the bed.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Cornelius said, avoiding her gaze.

"Something is wrong," she stated.

"What? No there isn't," he said, climbing in bed and staring up at the ceiling.

Franny crossed her arms. "Yes, there is. You know I'm right."

He sighed, knowing better than to argue with her. "Honey, come here," he said, extending his arm. He saw her expression soften as she laid down in the crook of his arm. "I'm sorry," he said, kissing her temple.

He was worrying her. "Cornelius," she began, placing a hand on his chest. "Are you-are you not happy that we're having a girl?"

His throat became tight; he swallowed and looked her right in the eye. "Of course I'm happy. Why would you think otherwise?"

"Well, for one thing, you've hardly said a word since we found out. I thought you'd be ecstatic." A small smile played at her lips. "I can just see it now. Matilda is going to be such a daddy's girl."

Franny's grin was infectious; the image of holding his little girl, even for a brief moment, tugged at his heartstrings. He wondered if she would look like him or be another spitting image of Franny. Cornelius mindlessly began rubbing circles on her stomach. He grinned tightly, shoving any negative thoughts deep into the back of his mind. "I bet she'll look just like you."

She gazed lovingly at her husband, the sharp features of his face softening under her stare. "I don't know," she laughed, "I was hoping she would take after you, with those beautiful blue eyes of yours and your-well, maybe not your hair." She covered her mouth to hide her giggles as he frowned at her. "I think she'll definitely have the family cowlick."

"She wouldn't be a Robinson if she didn't," he smirked.

"Why isn't it working?" Franny grunted in frustration. She glowered at the frog as it continued to croak. She had given the amphibian several small doses of hormones within the week, believing it would strengthen the vocal cords, but Franny had been upset to discover that it was only effective the first time. She leaned on one hand on the table the frogs sat on top of, her other hand heavily stroking her belly. The brunette sat down in a nearby chair, kicking off her heels. "It's never going to work," she grumbled to herself.

"Franny?" she heard from the bottom of the stairs. She turned and saw a blond tuft of hair gradually coming closer until her husband's face came into view, tight and devoid of emotion.

"Hi, honey," she called, not bothering to smile.

He frowned. "Franny, is everything alright up here? You look angry."

She sighed in frustration. "It's not working, sweetheart. I thought the hormone treatment would work, but it seems like they've stopped responding to it." She relaxed as he began rubbing her shoulders.

"It's okay, honey. I told you we could always go with the restructuring of their DNA route."

"Did something happen at work?" she asked, hearing the tightness in his voice.

"I don't want to worry you," Cornelius said, his hands pausing the massage. Franny waited patiently for him to bite out, "Robert Berkman is threatening to sue. Says I fired him based on false accusations." He rolled his eyes. "Like he even has a case; he tried to plagiarize my work."

Franny sat still, her eyes focused on the wall in front of her as she listened intently to her husband's bitter words. "You don't think he even has a slight chance of winning?"

"Him? No, he's too arrogant to realize his firing was perfectly fair. I'm not worried," he said, his hands going back to work.

I am, Franny thought. It didn't matter if the kid's ego was too big for his own good, there was still a possibility her could win. It was a small possibility, but probable nonetheless. He could definitely afford the lawyer fees with all the money he had made from his one and only invention: the hologram capable cell phone (which, of course, Robinson Industries itself had distributed for him). She felt a tightening in her stomach, her hand instinctively resting on her lower abdomen.

"Don't worry, honey," Cornelius said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "I'll take care of it, I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hey, everyone! Here is the chapter I've been dreading posting. I don'thate this chapter, it just made me really sad writing it.

Warning: This chapter may include upsetting material.

Disclaimer: I own nothing about Meet the Robinsons.

Please read & review to let me know how I'm doing. :)

Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Dark Day at the Robinson House

August 2020

"What is this?" Cornelius asked, looking at the papers that had been tossed on his desk.

Dr. Ekhardt leaned over the desk. "Court papers. That idiot is actually going to sue us."

Cornelius quickly opened the envelope, reading the statement. "You're joking," he deadpanned at the older man. Dr. Ekhardt shook his head and Cornelius laughed humorlessly. "Does he seriously think he's going to win a case against us?"

"I don't know. He's trying to sue for lost wages on top of whatever else he's asking for," he said in disgust.

"His termination was perfectly justifiable. Damn it, tell me this is all an elaborate joke." Ekhardt shook his head. "Fantastic." Cornelius turned his chair around and looked out the window. "May I have a moment please?"

The older man nodded and quietly exited the room. Cornelius covered his face with his hands, feeling his chest tighten. He had told Franny he wasn't worried, but truthfully, he was scared out of his mind. This was his company and it was being threatened.

As he walked the halls, making his rounds and checking on his employees, he heard the hushed rumors floating around. Whenever a worker saw him, they would look at him out of the corner of their eyes, worry evident on the faces. They all knew Robert Berkman was an egotistical spoiled rich kid who was used to getting what he wanted; word going around was that he wanted a piece of the Robinson pie.

Cornelius tried his hardest to dispel the rumors, always putting on a fake smile whenever he entered a room, letting his employees believe they had nothing to fear. But whenever he would turn to go, they saw the grim expression that would fall upon his features.

Franny was the only one who knew about the lawsuit; Cornelius hadn't even told his parents. Whenever they asked how work was, he would smile and lie through his teeth. Franny acted like she was fine, but in reality, she was worried out of her mind. Since she had conceived, she had been in so much pain, made worse by Cornelius speaking about work. Of course, she would never let her husband know, especially since she was now almost four months pregnant and he would constantly ask her how she was feeling and if she needed anything. Franny was extremely grateful to have a husband so doting and caring, and she didn't want to worry him by telling him she was worried about the baby.

She had gone to the doctor several times, letting them know about the pain, but they had merely given her pain meds and sent her home. Franny knew if she told her husband he would go overboard wanting to fix the problem. Since she had hit puberty, she had always had painful periods; the doctors had told her it was normal, prescribing her birth control to help with the cramps. Franny noticed, though, that whenever she got her cycle, the pain was almost crippling, unlike most girls her age; the most they usually got was minor cramps and nausea. The only thing that seemed to help with the pain was shifting her focus to something else, something more productive. On days when it all got to be too much was when she would find herself in Cornelius' lab, working her fingers to the bone to make her frogs sing, not wanting to let her doctorate in music and bachelor's degree in genetics go to waste.

What made it worse was the fact that Cornelius had started going straight to the lab after work every day, only stopping occasionally to chat with a family member. She had started seeing him less and less frequently as the days became weeks; she didn't mind too much, knowing what he was preparing for.

The court date was fast approaching, and Franny was worried sick. This Berkman guy was not only suing for lost wages but had the gall to demand a portion of the company. Some nights the anxiety got to be so bad she had to hide in the bathroom pretending to have morning sickness just to sneak away and cry.

On the night before court, Franny had found Cornelius sitting on the couch, his eyes glazed over as he stared at the TV catatonically. She quietly sat next to him, her brows creased as she watched him, unblinking, slowly breathe in and out.

"Cornelius," Franny said quietly, her concerned gaze fixed upon her husband. "Sweetheart?" she tried again, grabbing his hand. He licked his lips and finally looked down at her. "You are an extremely intelligent and compassionate man, and I know you would never intentionally hurt anyone or ruin their life." He looked down, but she grabbed his chin and made him look at her. "Everything will work out, I promise. You'll see."

Cornelius took a shaky breath and spoke for the first time since he had gotten home. "Thank you, Franny. You always know what to say." He rested his hand on the back of her head, playing with her hair. "Please stop worrying," he whispered, forcing himself to smile.

Franny couldn't relax all day; her mind kept drifting back to her husband. She wasn't lying, she really did believe everything would work out. There was no real case and Franny was surprised he hadn't dropped the charges altogether, but she tried to busy herself nonetheless. In the morning when Cornelius left with the rest of the family (he had eventually told them about the suit, to which they immediately responded with offers to go with him), she had gone up to the lab to see if she could come up with any new theories or experiments to get her frogs to sing. After an hour or so she had gotten frustrated and gave up, beginning to wonder aimlessly through the house.

She hummed a quiet tune to herself as she drifted into the nursery across from her bedroom; after the family had found out she was having a girl, they all pitched in and surprised her with baby Matilda's own bedroom. She walked across the pink and green room and sat in the rocking chair by the window. "You are my Sunshine" drifted quietly down to Franny's tummy as she sang, rubbing circles on her torso. She grimaced slightly as she felt a faint cramp, her hand pausing for a moment, then starting back up again when it ceased.

Around lunchtime Lucille, who had stayed home to keep Franny company, found her in the living room staring at the wall, obviously having given up on being productive for the time being.

"Franny, dear, I'm going to make a quick run to the store. Do you need anything?"

"Oh, no, that's okay," Franny said from the couch she was relaxing on. "But thanks for the offer."

Lucille smiled and left. Franny sighed, looking up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling another cramp coming on. She frowned, her hand instinctively going to her abdomen again. Something didn't feel right… She shoved the thought out of her mind as she stood up.

Franny's heels clicked loudly in the empty house as she made her way to the kitchen. She pulled down a mug from the cabinet and put on a pot of decaf coffee. Thankfully she could tolerate it again, cringing at the thought of not being able to enjoy one of her favorite beverages. As he sat waiting for the coffee to finish, she frowned, placing a hand on her stomach. She felt another cramp, which lasted a few seconds longer than the last one. She groaned, brows creasing. "What is wrong with me today?" she said, grasping her abdomen. "Oh, not again," she said, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her abdomen. She gasped, holding her stomach.

The pain persisted for a few seconds, then stopped abruptly. Franny began panting, anxiety rising in her chest as suddenly she felt something wet between her legs. She ran to the nearest restroom, inspecting herself. Fear rose inside her as she pulled up her dress, slowly pulling down her panties. She froze. Blood. She put a hand over her mouth and fumbled with her cell phone.

"Please pick up, please pick up," Franny mumbled, tears already escaping her eyes.

"Hello?" Lucille said, ever her chipper self.

"Mom-mom, please come home," Franny choked out.

"Franny?" Lucille asked worriedly, hearing the panic in her daughter-in-law's voice. "What happened?" she asked as calmly as she could.

"Please," Franny begged. "Come home."

"I'm turning around now," Lucille replied. "Stay calm." Click.

There was a knock on the door, making Franny jump. "Franny?" a concerned voice came from outside.

"Not now, Carl," she said, struggling to catch her breath.

Hearing the panic in her voice, Carl knocked again. "Franny, I can tell something is wrong. Tell me so I can get Cornelius back here-"

"Carl, I said not now!" she yelled back, a choked sob escaping her lips. Carl stepped back, having never heard Franny lose her temper in his existence.

"I'm calling Cornelius," he said, his internal system sending an automated message to his creator's phone.

"Franny?" Lucille yelled, running in the house and looking every which way for her panicked daughter-in-law. "Franny, where are you?"

"She's in there," Carl said, pointing toward a closed door.

"Thank you, Carl," she said, rushing to the bathroom and knocking.

"Carl, please go away," Franny cried desperately.

"It's me, dear."

The door opened, and Lucille's stomach dropped; Franny stood in front of her, her face red and tear stained, her arms wrapped around her lower abdomen as if she were protecting herself. The worst part of the image in front of her, though, was the blood on the floor in front of the sink. Lucille's eyes widened. "Franny, what's happened?" she said, inspecting the young woman.

"I-I think I'm-" she choked out, unable to finish the awful thought.

"Shh. You don't have to say it," she said, and Franny nodded gratefully. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital." She wrapped her arm around Franny as she led her out of the restroom. Carl looked on with as much concern as a robot could muster up. "Carl," she said over her shoulder, "call Cornelius. I don't care what he's doing, tell him to come home."

"Way ahead of ya," he said, already dialing his creator's cell phone.

"I told you, you had nothing to worry about," Bud said, patting his son on the back. They walked down the steps of the courthouse, laughing to themselves at the whole ordeal: Robert Berkman had made such a big deal about suing the great Cornelius Robinson only to chicken out last minute-IN court, right before the final judgement-and drop all charges.

Cornelius chuckled, turning on his phone as he got in his car. "I know. He didn't even have a case. Now he's begging me for his job back." He smiled down at his phone to check the time, only to be bombarded by about fifty text messages and seventeen missed calls from Carl and his mom. He frowned, opening the first text.

CARL: Cornelius, come home as soon as possible. Please.

He was too concerned to find Carl's misplaced manners funny. He opened the next.

CARL: Cornelius, you really need to come home.

CARL: Cornelius, call your mother.

CARL: Cornelius, call your wife.

LUCILLE: You need to come home asap

LUCILLE: Please hurry

As he continued reading the texts, his heart began pounding harder and harder. The one message, though, that sent him over the edge was:

CARL: Cornelius, it's your wife. Come home now.

Cornelius took a shaky breath, turning around in the car. "Change of plans, guys. We're going home."

Sensing something was wrong, Bud asked, "Is everything okay, son?"

Cornelius looked him right in the eye. "It's Franny," he whispered. The car went silent, Art and Gaston sharing a worried glance.

Cornelius had never driven so fast in his life; he thanked his lucky stars he hadn't been pulled over, considering he was practically flying. As soon as the car hit the driveway, he skidded to a halt and ran to the front door, his dad, uncle, and brothers-in-law trying to catch up. A second later, Billie and Joe pulled into the driveway, rushing to the door.

"Ring my doorbell-"

"Not now," Cornelius sneered, making Spike sink down into his pot. The inventor paused at the door and turned toward the rest of the family. "I think it's best if I go in first," he said tightly. The family nodded their heads as Cornelius cracked open the door, taking a hesitant step inside. He half expected Franny to be up in their bedroom, but there she was, on her knees on the floor in the middle of the living room. His heart wrenched; she looked as though she had crumpled over and was clawing at her heart to keep it inside her chest. It took everything in him not to look away as he witnessed the love of his life sobbing desperately into his mother's chest.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay," Lucille said, gently rocking the young woman, trying her hardest to comfort her. "I know, Franny. I know…"

"F-Franny?" Cornelius asked, taking a hesitant step toward his wife. She immediately turned and buried her face deeper into Lucille's chest, her sobs growing stronger. He noticed her entire body shaking as Lucille tightened her grip around Franny's small frame. She looked so small and helpless, nowhere near her usual happy-go-lucky, wonderful self. "What happened?" Lucille looked up at him, eyes solemn and revealing. He felt his body go numb as every repressed thought of the future and timelines being rewritten suddenly filled his thoughts. At last, the final piece of the infuriating puzzle fell into place; all those long nights calculating it all in his head, every minute of lost sleep…it all made sense now: Matilda Robinson was truly never meant to be.

He had hoped and even prayed some nights that he was wrong, that the creeping suspicion was impossible; the few moments he last spent with Wilbur had told him everything he needed to know, yet he didn't want to believe it. There were so many things that it could've meant, this being the one thing Cornelius didn't think imaginable.

"Come on, everyone," aunt Billie said, interrupting his inner turmoil. She motioned for everyone to follow her. "Let's let them be alone."

The room fell silent except for Franny's distressed cries. She gripped Lucille's shirt, her noises stifled by the fabric. Cornelius shook his head, heart filled with fear as they eyed the small box. "No," he whispered, eyes pleading.

Lucille's held his gaze, nodding gravely. Another tear rolled down her cheek.

"Oh, sweetheart," he said sadly, quickly kneeling on the floor next to her and wrapping them both in his embrace. He met his mother's gaze, reaching up and wiping a tear off her face. Lucille smiled sadly, then looked away, not able to stand seeing so much pain in her son's eyes.

Art and Gaston both stood in the doorway, their hearts breaking at the sight of their baby sister hurting. They looked at each other for a moment before reluctantly leaving the room.

At dinner that night, Cornelius made a late entrance, apologizing as he sat at the end of the table. He looked around, thankful that no one was staring at him. Carl came out of the kitchen and presented him with a plate of mashed potatoes and gravy. "Thanks, Carl," he said under his breath.

"No problem, boss. Say," Carl said, lowering his voice, "How's Franny doing?" He looked at her empty seat. Everyone looked at Cornelius expectantly.

Cornelius cleared his throat. "Not so good. Franny won't be joining us this evening," he replied apologetically.

"Why not?" Tallulah's small voice came from across the table.

"She's not feeling well," Cornelius tried to explain, but found it difficult to say anything more.

"Why not?"

Cornelius frowned, about to say something, but was thankfully cut off.

"Not right now, Tallulah," Art said, watching his brother-in-law out of the corner of his eye.

Tallulah pouted; Cornelius half smiled at Art gratefully before taking a bite of his food.

"Franny?" Cornelius whispered, resting his hand on her shoulder as he climbed into bed. She laid still, staring at the wall, her eyes bloodshot. "Sweetheart?" he said again, scooting closer to her. Still she said nothing, only closing her eyes as more tears formed. Cornelius sighed, leaning down and kissing her cheek softly. "It'll be okay, sweetheart. I'm right here when you're ready to talk," he whispered into her ear, warpping his arm around her.

The next evening, instead of dinner, the family decided to let Franny and Cornelius have time to themselves to grieve. Franny walked behind Cornelius as he led them to an empty patch of land in the gardens behind the house. When he found what he was searching for her stopped, turning to Franny, his face devoid of emotion.

"This is a good spot," he said, looking out over the hill toward the sunset. "I think she'll be happy right here."

Franny nodded, not wanting to say anything for fear of breaking down again. She looked down at the little wooden box Cornelius had made, her heart aching as she studied the engraving: Matilda Robinson, Our Little Sunshine." A tear escaped her eye; Cornelius stepped forward and quickly wiped it away. "Come on," he said quietly. "Don't want to waste any daylight." She nodded again, kneeling on both knees as Cornelius began shoveling the tiniest hole in the earth.

Cornelius eyed the hole after a few quick jabs, determining it was deep enough. He set the shovel on the ground and kneeled in front of Franny. She tried not to look him in the eye, but his gaze was magnetic; as soon as their eyes locked, she felt the tears welling in her eyes again. Cornelius hated seeing his wife hurt so much, but in this moment, he was sharing her pain; everything he felt he knew she was experiencing tenfold. He placed his hands over hers, both lowering the box into the ground. Franny let her fingers linger on the smooth wood for a moment before she brought a hand to her lips. She kissed the tips of her fingers and lightly touched the lid.

Shakily she whispered, "Goodbye, Matilda."

Cornelius sniffled, wiping the back of his hand against his eyes, drying his own tears. Franny noticed him crying and couldn't stand how much her heart ached as she ran into the house, only looking back before she closed the back door.

The blonde man pulled a small pouch out of his pocket, not bothering chasing after his wife, knowing better than to crowd her when she was emotional. He took a deep breath as he poured the seeds into the ground on top of the box. "Who knows if this will work," he mumbled to himself as he started pulling the dirt back into the box with his hands, "but if it does, at least I'll know you're not alone out here." He sniffed, letting the tears fall freely without fear of being scrutinized. "I love you, Matilda. You would've been my first child and," he choked out, "I'll never forget you."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Please don't kill me.

This chapter ends on a good note, I swear. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Meet the Robinsons, thank you very much.

Enjoy!

Chapter 9: The "D" Word

Late 2020

Franny had fallen into a horrible depression; everyone noticed, but no one dared say anything. Whenever she would finally come out of her room in the afternoon, she would go to the kitchen, eat about one bite of food, then hole herself up in the nursery, staring vacantly at the little green frogs on the wall. Cornelius had seen it firsthand, unlike the rest of the family who just thought she was a little down. At night, right before he would drift off to sleep, he would hear the faint sound of her crying from the other side of the bed. He continued trying to ask her what was wrong, but she never responded. He realized eventually that she was crying in her sleep but was mostly too exhausted to wake her up from her bad dream.

Then in the mornings, before he would leave for work, he would wake up to her peaceful face and try to kiss her, but she would turn her head, making him miss, instead kissing her cheek. When he came home from work he would, very rarely, find her passing through the living room and would try to greet her, but she would immediately avert her gaze and quicken her pace, as though she were embarrassed that she had been spotted by him.

The family had noticed her absence more and more as the weeks went on, no one wanting to say anything, afraid that either she or Cornelius would go off on them for being so insensitive. Then there were the children; Lazlo was old enough to know better than to ask why Franny was always crying, but Tallulah on the other hand…

The little girl was so curious about everything, Franny's sudden change in behavior not going unnoticed by her. On a rare occasion when Franny had decided to join the family for dinner, Tallulah pulled out a small object from her pocket and held it up for her older cousin to see. "Hey, Franny, look what I found," she said waving the object.

Franny looked up, her fork pausing halfway to her mouth, which was now in a small "o."

Cornelius felt his breath hitch as the table went silent. "Tallulah, where did you get that?" he said, his voice tight.

"I found it on the floor in the hallway," she said a bit too defensively. "Why don't you ever talk about Matilda anymore?" she said, laying the ultrasound photo on the table. Art quickly grabbed the picture and handed it to his sister. Franny's face turned down in a noticeable frown; she practically ripped it out of her brother's hand and stood up. Her chair tipped over, thudding loudly in the large space as she ran out of the room.

"Franny, wait," Cornelius called after her.

"What did I say?" Tallulah asked in shock.

"Tallulah," Cornelius bit out, making the little girl shrink in her chair. "Why did you have that? You should've given it back to one of us."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Never mind," he said, getting up and running after his wife.

Fritz looked disapprovingly at his daughter. "We need to have a little talk after dinner."

"Should we go talk to her?" Gaston asked his brother worriedly.

Art shook his head. "No. This is something she and Cornelius need to work through together."

Cornelius ran after Franny, half expecting her to bolt toward the nursery, but was surprised when she shoved open the back door and sprinted to the little dirt patch on the hill. Instead of calling after her, afraid he would scare her off, he followed her as closely as possible, observing her from afar.

She stood there, looking down where the box was buried, her hands in fist. Why hadn't she been more careful with that picture? If someone had thrown it away or it had gotten lost, she would never be able to forgive herself. Franny looked down at the picture longingly, tracing a finger along the white lines. Cornelius watched as she fell to her knees and cried.

A few months passed, and Franny found herself becoming increasingly more restless as the days went on; the one thing she never really thought she would have had been ripped from her grasp far too soon, and it broke her. For the first few weeks she had been in a trance, never truly seeing anything or feeling anything but pain. The only thing she did seem to pick up on was Cornelius; he would come home, try to kiss her, then head up to the lab without another word. Her heart broke more and more as the time passed, her mind wandering to a dark place whenever their eyes met. She could see it in his eyes-the disappointment and sorrow, and she always ended up averting her gaze before he could speak up.

She thought he was distancing himself, ready to move on, but she wasn't. Franny knew Cornelius wasn't really the type to dwell on anything too long-after all his motto was "Keep Moving Forward"-but on the other hand, he never had a family of his own. Sure, he was adopted, but there was always that nagging thought in the back of his mind that told him he wanted his own flesh and blood to love and care for. The distance that was forming between them was tangible, and everyone had noticed.

Tallulah, as much as they loved the spunky little girl, loved to interrogate them, asking them why they hadn't spoken all night at dinner or why they sat on opposite sides of the living room on movie nights. They all would look at her, reprimanding the thoughtless comments, then glance at Franny and Cornelius. Most nights they would fake a smile and say exactly one sentence to each other, then go back to their original task. Then there were the particularly difficult nights when they couldn't even connect gazes, and one of them would find it too hard to come up with any explanation, then just leave.

Little did Franny know, however, that Cornelius was trying-trying so hard to connect with her, to make love with her, to _something._ The sorrow that she had fallen into was making her distance herself, not noticing when her husband would smile at her from across the room or try to kiss her goodnight. In fact, whenever he did try to get close to her, he never saw bitterness, only sadness. It was like she was trying to push him away, but he couldn't understand. He loved his wife far too much to let something like this tear them apart, especially not after everything they had been through together.

Franny had fallen hopelessly in love with Cornelius right around thirteen, her girlish crush turning into something so much more. No one believed she was in love, considering she was barely a teenager, but she knew what she was feeling. They started dating when Cornelius turned eighteen, taking her out on the most romantic dates he could imagine, buying her flowers on Tuesdays because he thought about her on his way home from either work or teaching a class. After only a couple of months of dating Franny knew she wanted to marry this man, but he had other plans. Cornelius knew that Franny had bigger dreams than to just get married and settle down, so he made a deal with her: he would marry her, but only after she graduated college. At first Franny had resented the idea, but after careful consideration, she agreed, knowing Cornelius only wanted the best for her. She finished grad school at twenty three, just a few months prior to her fiancé's birthday, and the entire family pitched in to plan the most elaborate, perfect wedding Franny could imagine.

The thought came to Franny occasionally, thanking her lucky stars that she had someone so completely committed to making her happy that she often wondered what she did to deserve him. Memories like this would hit her so hard sometimes that she often forgot what she was doing. Lately, though, the recollections would crush her, thinking back to the past few months as Cornelius would come home and bolt for the lab. She didn't know why he had been up there so much as of late, but she knew deep in her gut that something had changed.

Early February 2021

Cornelius slaved away, from the moment he got home to the moment he passed out on the couch in the lab to make Franny's frogs sing. His heart was a shattered mess from the distance Franny was creating between them, but he didn't care. He wasn't going to let this ruin his marriage-other than his parents, she was the only person he had ever loved so much in his entire life, which was why he tried so hard to make her dreams come true. Sometimes he would come home and find pages of notes on his desk, theories and experiments written down in neat script, laying out the process for him. Cornelius didn't tell Franny (not that she'd listen) that he had been working on her project, nor did he intend to. Their one-year anniversary was coming up very soon and he wanted to make it exceedingly special for the love of his life.

Cornelius poured everything he had into making his wife happy, and before he knew it, after adding the final touches, he knew he had achieved the impossible. The frogs went from croaking along with the music, to humming, to singing "La" to the melodies, to, at long last, singing full compositions.

After figuring out the most effective method of manipulating DNA, Cornelius tested on Donnie, a small frog he knew that Franny had been working with, not wanting to ruin Frankie's potential should the experiments go horribly wrong. Once the procedure was implemented, he did the same to Frankie, who now stood before him on his hind legs.

"Hey, boss, when are we gonna make our debut?" the amphibian said.

Cornelius couldn't help but smile at how far his communication skills had come along. "Soon, I promise. You guys need more practice before the world sees you."

"I know, but we haven't even learned any songs yet," Donnie's small voice came from behind the head of the group. "Well, I mean, we know _one_ …"

Cornelius shook his head. "I promise, when you're ready I'll show you off. For now," he said, clicking a button on the wall, "practice as much as you can." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really know all that much about music, so you're just going to have to play it by ear."

Frankie shot him a thumbs up. "You got it, boss."

The blond inventor smiled, hanging up his lab coat and heading downstairs. He stepped quietly into his bedroom, noticing Franny lying on the bed with her back facing him. She appeared to be asleep, so he tiptoed over to the bed and climbed in, careful not to jostle her. He gazed at her still form; her chest moved up and down in a steady rhythm, her hair wrapped neatly in a ballet style bun, her dress wrinkled under her body weight. He frowned, wondering how tired she must've been to fall asleep in her clothes, considering it was only about 8:30. Early for the both of them.

He sighed, gently lifting her to pull her dress off, replacing it with a silk nightgown. He reached down and pulled her shoes off her small feet, laying them on the floor silently. When he looked at her, his breath caught in his throat. She was so beautiful this way, free of worry and pain, her face that of an angel's. He smiled to himself, leaning down and kissing her soft lips before wrapping his arm around her small frame and drifting into an exhaustion-induced slumber.

Mid-February 2021

"That'll be $9.50," a young red-headed woman said, touching the screen on her register. Cornelius smiled, swiping his hand over the scanner. A blue light scanned his hand and beeped, signifying the transaction was complete. He felt a swell of pride as he looked at the machine, a Robinson original. "Here you go," she said, smiling and handing him his receipt.

"Thank you very much," he said, grinning down at her, making the girl blush and giggle softly. He picked up the bouquet of red roses, Franny's favorite, and made his way to his car. On the drive home, all he could think about was how desperately he wanted to spend time with his beloved wife, but whenever he tried she always pushed him away. Well, not today. No, today he was going to spoil her rotten with all the love and affection he was planning on showering her with.

He pulled in the driveway, quickly grabbing the flowers and walking up toward the front door. "No, I will not ring your doorbell," he said as he pushed open the front door. Dimitri's mouth closed before a word came out and sank back into his pot.

"Hey there, son," Bud said from the couch. "You're home early." He eyed the roses and smiled. "Oh, I wonder who those are for," he said, winking.

Cornelius chuckled and shook his head. "Have you seen Franny?"

"She's up in her room." His face fell a bit. "Said she wanted to be left alone."

Cornelius felt his smile falter. "She says that every day." He turned to go up the stairs. "Not today," he muttered.

"Franny?" Cornelius said opening his bedroom door. He had the biggest grin on his face and he wasn't going to let Franny's harsh words hurt him today. Instead he was going to try to make her smile again. How he missed that smile…

He looked at the bed, where Franny usually was when he came home lately, but she wasn't there. "Franny?" he tried again, hearing a soft sigh coming from the other side of the room. There she sat on the couch staring at the black TV screen. "There you are, honey," he said, bending down and kissing the top of her head. She didn't even try to avoid him, she just sat there unmoving. "How was your day?"

She didn't say anything right away, just breathed in and out steadily. She seemed to be mentally steeling herself for something, showing no emotion on her young features.

"Honey?"

"I want a divorce," she whispered softly, those four words shattering the silence. The roses fell to the ground behind Cornelius, thudding quietly.

"What?" he stammered.

"I said," she said, looking up at him, "I want a d-divorce," she choked out.

Cornelius felt his soul fly out of his body at her words. A divorce? The word hit him in a way nothing ever had. He thought they had been doing better-he tried showing her affection whenever she would let him, but he didn't think she was thinking about splitting up. His chest tightened as she looked away, a tear spilling over her cheek. He reached out to wipe it away, but stopped, not knowing what to do or say. He swallowed, not able to do much more than stare at her as she pulled her knees up to her chest. As if reading his mind, she angrily thumbed the stray tear away.

"Franny-"

"No, Cornelius. I'm sorry, but…this isn't working." She sounded like she was forcing herself to sound tough, but he could hear the uncertain undertones of her words.

Cornelius furrowed his brow and sat on the other end of the couch, eyeing her as she tried to calm herself.

She took a deep breath. "Cornelius," she began, her words softer now. "I love you and I know that we've been struggling. I just don't know what to do." She sniffled. "You know I'm right."

Cornelius reached out and touched her arm, but she yanked it away. "Why do you keep doing that? How can you still want me?" she said, the last word coming out as a sob. His eyes widened.

"Franny, what are you talking about?"

"How can you still want me," she said, covering her face and full-on weeping now, "when I can't even give you children?"

Franny's emotional words and unguarded demeanor made Cornelius' heart fracture as every choked sob escaped her lips. He couldn't think of what to say, so he just wrapped his warm arm around her, rocking her softly. She tried to pull away, but he held steady, not letting her run away this time.

"Oh, Franny," he whispered, a droplet running down his cheek and into her hair. She kept weeping for what seemed like an eternity; once the dam broke, it didn't want to stop.

"How can you still want me?" she said again, this time not bothering holding back her pain. "I'm broken," she said, finally letting herself be held and turning her head into Cornelius' chest.

The blond froze. How could she think so little about herself? Broken? She was anything but…

"Franny, you are not broken-"

"…can't even give you children. I'm such a failure." She fisted his shirt, effectively wrinkling it.

"In this house we celebrate failure." He stroked the back of her head.

"I'm the one thing you can't fix, and you know I'm right," she said, her voice straining.

He pulled back, holding Franny at arm's length, never letting go over her. Her forced her to look in his eyes as he spoke. "Now listen to me," he said, his words shaky. "No, Franny. This time you're not right. You are not broken, nor are you a failure. I don't care if we never have children. I didn't marry you just to make babies." He swiped a tear from her cheek. "I married you because of your compassion, hunger for achieving the impossible, and mostly because I've never loved anything or anyone more in my entire life. I could invent a million and one things and be admired by everyone on earth, be the richest man alive…but none of it would be worth it without you by my side."

Franny sat there, gazing at the man in front of her. How stupid she had been the last few months; she should've known that he would still love her no matter what, but she had been so broken inside to even notice. She mentally berated herself for ever doubting his love for her and for every time he tried to kiss her or touch her, only to have her turn away; he had tried to fix things for so long, but she wouldn't let him.

His eyes bore right into her soul, every warm embrace suddenly seeming like a long-forgotten memory. Cornelius smiled tearfully at her, making her melt in front of him. Without any warning, she wrapped herself around him, their lips meeting in a desperate kiss.

They turned their heads every which way, trying to deepen the kiss, but Cornelius pulled back before it could go any further. Franny pouted, confused as he gazed lovingly up at her. "I don't ever want to hear the "D" word again, okay?" he whispered. Franny nodded, pulling his head back to meet her halfway.

Cornelius wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to straddle his lap. His mouth moved from her lips to her neck, making her gasp. "God, I've missed you," he whispered, his breath caressing her skin, making her shiver. His hands moved from her waist to her thighs, lightly brushing the smooth skin under her dress. Franny traced her fingers down Cornelius' chest, working on unbuttoning his shirt.

"Franny, wait," Cornelius said breathlessly. Franny pouted, her fingers stopping on the third button down.

"Can it wait?" she said, her voice raspy.

He chuckled. "No." He patted her leg, asking her to stand up. He stood and grabbed her hand. "Come with me. I want to show you something."

Cornelius led her up the stairs, his hands covering her eyes. She frowned into his palm as she stumbled up the steps. His face hurt from smiling, knowing his gift would absolutely delight her.

"Sweetheart, why can't I see it?"

"Be patient," he laughed. When they reached the top step, he guided her toward the far side of the room. "Cover your ears for a second, and keep your eyes closed," he said as she did what he requested. He walked over to the little table and leaned down. "Okay, guys. I know you're not necessarily ready for a world tour or anything, but do you think you could play me one song?"

"I don't know, boss," Donnie said, eyeing the small grand piano. "Like you said, we aren't ready."

Cornelius' face turned serious. "Look guys, I've been working so hard with you guys to surprise Franny. I know it's a little soon, but I really need you guys to try."

"You got it, boss," Frankie said, frowning at the other frogs. "For the lady." The others nodded reluctantly.

"Cornelius?" Franny asked, her eyes and ears still closed.

He walked over and led her to the table, gently pulling her hands down. "Keep your eyes closed." She nodded. "Okay, I know our anniversary isn't for a few weeks, but I have a surprise for you." Her face lit up as he lifted his hand and gave the frogs a thumbs up, never looking away from his wife.

Suddenly the large domed lab was filled with the sound of instruments, which truthfully wasn't the most appealing sound considering they had almost no practice. Immediately Franny's eyes opened, and her face went from a light frown to completely overwhelmed with joy in less than a second. She gasped, covering her mouth as she gazed upon her frogs, who were actually standing before her, doing what she had tried so desperately for so long to do.

"Oh, Cornelius!" Franny exclaimed, standing on her toes and hugging his neck. "How did you-"

"It was all you," the blond smiled down at her. Franny's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your notes," he said, picking up a notebook from the corner of the desk. Her eyes widened as he continued. "I read over them quite a bit. Franny, you were right about the hormones. It just took a bit more poking and prodding before it finally worked, but it was all your idea. I did nothing but execute. You," he said, pecking her lips, "are brilliant."

Franny felt herself completely melt into a puddle in front of her husband. He held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" She cocked her head, listening to the music filling the air.

The music vamped for a few bars before Frankie finally opening his mouth and started singing:

" _Let me tell you about a girl I know. She is my baby and she lives next door. Every morning before the sun come up, she brings my coffee in my favorite cup_ ," the newly mutated amphibian croaked, his voice still a little shaky as he tried to sing along with the music.

Franny looked up at Cornelius, his face in a mischievous smirk. "Our song," she whispered, her lips gently pulling up at the corners.

He took her hand and pulled her a bit further into the middle of the room as the frogs continued to sing, spinning her in an intricate dance. Franny gasped as Cornelius led her around in circles, his feet never once faltering.

"Where did you learn to dance?" she asked, her own feet trying to keep up with the fast tempo.

He said nothing, only guiding her around the room, their faces aglow for the first time in months. "Hallelujah I just love her so," he sang along softly.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hey, guys! I am sooooo sorry for the delay. The momentum of this fic was going strong, but the last couple of weeks I was having a serious case of writer's block. Plus my fiance and I just split, so I was dealing with that. Anywho, now that this chapter is finally out in the universe I can keep it going.

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the amazingness that is Meet the Robinsons!

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: Keep Moving Forward

April 2021

"Okay, boys, after me," Franny said, pressing the white ivory piano keys up a scale. The frogs sat in tiny chairs Cornelius had fashioned for them, each holding a miniscule piece of sheet music. The brunette cringed inwardly as the frogs struggled up the scale with their respective instruments, eyes darting from the maestro to each other.

Cornelius looked at them across the lab, hand pausing the turning motion it was performing on an invention. He smiled. Ever since that lovely afternoon in the very room he stood in now, Franny had been more open than she'd been for the first time in months. That day they spent practically the entire rest of the evening wrapped in each other's arms, reconnecting and actually enjoying their time together.

They had never been better. But at the moment, Cornelius was feeling slightly crowded.

He watched as Franny scolded one of the frogs in the back of the group for missing a note, making him play the note again to make sure he knew it. Cornelius sighed, his hand going back to the machine he was currently working on. He was happy for Franny, don't get him wrong, he just felt a little cramped with his wife and her twenty plus amphibians at musical rehearsal across the way.

"Okay, Frankie. Let's go over your solo," Franny said, turning her sheet music over. Cornelius shook his head, smiling at her expression. She was one of the easiest people to get along with, yet there she was, berating her frogs for struggling to read sheet music. Cornelius knew better than to interrupt music rehearsal, thinking back on the time he accidentally interrupted her while practicing karate and getting kicked in the knee. He shuddered, bending the joint to make sure it still worked.

Three hours went by when Franny finally decided rehearsal was over for the night. "Alright, boys," she said, standing up, her face turned downward. "I think that'll do for tonight. Go rest up and be ready for tomorrow," she said, trying to make her voice more chipper than what she was actually feeling.

She and Cornelius walked down the stairs to exit the lab, Franny sighing as they reached the bottom step. The blond reached down and grasped her hand as they walked. "What's wrong, Franny?"

"It's nothing," she said, staring blankly down the hall, letting her husband lead the way. He furrowed his brow, looking down at her downcast features. She seemed to catch on to his worrying. "It's just I've worked so hard to make this dream of mine come true, a lot of which you helped me with, but still…I feel like," she trailed off, sighing. He squeezed her hand. "I feel like I'm invading your space."

"What makes you say that?" he said, stopping mid-hallway. Franny looked up at him. "I love watching you work," he smiled down at her, brushing her cheek with his thumb. She smiled softly up at him. "You're not bothering me, I promise. Plus you look really sexy in a lab coat," he said winking.

She giggled and bit her lip, his eyes boring into her soul. She felt so guilty for having practically taken over Cornelius' lab but couldn't bring herself to admit it.

Cornelius wrapped his arms around her slender waist, leaning down and touching her lips gently with his own. He pulled away and grinned. "I love you."

Giving up on her argument for now, Franny sighed and took her husband's hand as he led her further down the hall. His eyes wandered as they walked, the large double doors he knew led to more storage space behind Franny catching his eye. An idea sparked in his head, the grin on his face spreading like wildfire.

Mid-April 2021

Cornelius opened his eyes, squinting as the light from the window shone brightly into the room. He turned his head, smiling softly at the women laying next to him. She was fast asleep still, but he had a feeling she would wake up very soon.

The door burst open and every single Robinson piled in, their faces filled with excitement.

"Happy Anniversary!" Bud and Lucille said loudly, effectively making Franny jolt from her sleep, her arms going into a defensive position. Cornelius laughed at he expression as she realized what was going on and lowered her arms.

"Oh, that is today, isn't it?" the young brunette said, turning to face her husband. The joy on his face was contagious.

"It sure is," Cornelius said, tilting his head, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss," the family chanted. Franny blushed, her brows coming together in mock irritation.

Cornelius laughed again, pulling Franny's face closer so he could plant one on her. The room suddenly filled with "Awww"s as they pulled apart, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Ew, are you guys going to make out now?" Tallulah asked, holding an envelope in her hand.

"Only if you want us to," Cornelius joked, puckering his lips jokingly. Franny playfully swatted his chest, turning to look at Tallulah, who just said "Eeeewwww" again, gagging.

"Hey, at least they're not fighting still," Lazlo said, suddenly bombarded by disapproving glares. "What'd I say?"

Lucille chuckled. "Alright guys, let's go make some breakfast for the love birds," she said, turning and leaving the room, the rest of the Robinsons trailing behind her.

"Thank you for breakfast, mom. It was delicious," Cornelius said, wiping his mouth with a napkin as Carl cleared the table.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, sweetheart. Today's a special day and we want to make it a good one."

"Yeah! And Cornelius said he had surprises for everyone!" Tallulah said from across the table. Cornelius frowned at her and she sank into her seat while several pairs of ears perked up.

"Tallulah, I thought I told you not to say anything," he said, glancing at the rest of the family out of the corner of his eye.

"Way to go, sis," Lazlo said, rolling his eyes. "I didn't say anything. I'm the good child," the eleven-year-old said, sticking his nose up.

Cornelius sighed as the family looked on expectantly. He put his hands up. "Okay, yeah. It's true. I have surprises for, well, almost everyone."

"But it's not Christmas," Art said, brows furrowed. "Why are you giving us gifts?"

Cornelius smiled. "Today officially marks one year we've all been an official family, and I wanted to celebrate with all of you." Bud and Lucille smiled proudly at their son. "But you're just going to have to wait until after dinner."

The family groaned in unison.

 _Tap tap tap_

Cornelius stood up at the end of the large table while the family continued with their nightly food fight. Honestly it was so much fun, and had become a ritual of sorts, but there was a part of Cornelius that didn't think he would ever get used to such antics. He tapped the glass again. "Ahem," he said, clearing his throat.

The food froze practically mid-air as the Robinson clan turned their heads to look at the blonde man standing in front of them.

"Thank you," he said, smiling. That was easier than he'd thought. He cleared his throat once more before continuing. "I'm sorry to interrupt our family food fight, but I just wanted to make a toast." He lifted his glass as eyebrows followed suit. "As you all know, today is mine and Franny's one-year anniversary," he said, grinning down at his wife, "and I just wanted to make a toast to each and every one of you." His expression became more serious, but he kept the smile on his face. "They say the first year of marriage is always the hardest, no matter how long you're together," he said, noting how his mom and dad shared a knowing look with one another. "Well, I had hoped against all hope and logic and reason that we would be the exception. But God knows our first year," he trailed off, sighing as he looked Franny in the eye. "Our first year of marriage was the hardest year of my life. And that's only coming from my side. I can't possibly imagine what it must've been like for you.

"We've been through more in the last few months than we've ever been through, and, as hard as this is to admit, I didn't know if we'd make it through. But you and I both know we were meant to be together, and nothing in this entire universe could make me believe otherwise. Nothing in the universe could ever make me stop loving you, Francesca Robinson."

Franny's eyes were filling with tears as Cornelius spoke, wanting nothing more than to leap into his arms and be swept away by him. Her breath caught in her throat as he extended his hand to her, asking her to stand. She took it without hesitation and got to her feet, her husband touching his forehead to hers.

"So, I'd like to make a toast to my amazing family, especially this amazing woman right here. Without her, I don't think I would've made it this far in life or would've had any inspiration for new things." He paused, getting slightly choked up as he smiled at her. "To family," he said, lifting his glass.

"To family!" the Robinsons exclaimed in unison.

The next thing he knew the family was dumping water on their heads in the way he treasured so much. He chuckled and lifted his own glass above his head and dumped it on himself, splashing Franny in the process. The couple broke out in laughter before Cornelius pulled the brunette in and kissed her passionately for the whole world to see.

"Eeeewww!" Tallulah said, the adults just laughing at her naivety.

"Okay, Cornelius," Lazlo said, bouncing on his toes. "You said you had presents for everyone?"

Cornelius rolled his eyes. "Why, yes Lazlo. Thank you for reminding me. Everyone follow me."

The young inventor led the family around the house, first stopping in Tallulah and Lazlo's shared bedroom. He presented Lazlo with his own state of the art paint set with a special brush that allows the artist to choose any color on the spectrum before dispensing the paint. Without thinking, he pressed the button on the side, squirting a shade of blue all over his sister's dress. Tallulah huffed, about to yell at her brother when Fritz cut in and stopped the argument in its tracks.

Next was Tallulah's gift; Cornelius had given her her very own sewing machine, equipped with everything you could think of to be on one, including embroidery, special stitching, the works, along with an entire wall filled with fabrics. Her frown turned upside down in a microsecond.

Billie and Joe, having been the most recent Robinsons to join the chaos, got their very own bedroom. The young woman thanked Cornelius profusely, having been sleeping on a blowup mattress in Gaston's room (he was eternally grateful for the renewed peace).

Gaston was gifted with his very own room to shoot himself out of his canon to his heart's content whenever he felt like it. He had been so excited when he saw it standing in the middle of the room that he almost forgot to thank his brother-in-law before clambering to get in.

"Alright, this next gift is for Art," Cornelius said, leading the only two family members left to the garage. When they got to the door, the inventor turned around, smiling. "Okay, I know how you've been asking me for a while now to fix your car," Cornelius said, getting a sheepish look from the brunet man in front of him. "Well, I finally got around to it." He pushed in the passcode and the door slowly opened. "I hope you don't mind, but I took some liberties."

Art's eyes grew wide; there in front of him stood-no, _floated_ -his car. His jaw dropped, and he looked at Cornelius who was just smiling proudly.

"Lady and gentleman, may I present to you the very first working flying car, courtesy of yours truly," he announced, a proud grin on his face.

"Cornelius, this is-this is fantastic! Now I can finally try and beat my record for fastest delivery," he said, already getting inside.

"Go on, take her for a spin. It's already been tested and certified. Have fun," the blond said, waving.

Cornelius laughed as Art took off faster than he could say "Thank you." He chuckled and looked down at Franny who had a strange look on her face.

Franny had watched her husband give every single family member a gift (except Fritz because he always specifically asked for no presents on any given holiday) and was starting to feel her stomach drop. What if he had forgotten about her? Not that she wanted a gift; her husband was gift enough… No, that couldn't be true. Still, she couldn't help but feeling left out, considering it was her anniversary, too.

"Franny, you okay?"

"What?" Franny asked, shaking her head. "Oh, sorry. Yeah, I'm fine. Let's go back inside. It's chilly out here," she said, already heading back toward the house. Cornelius bit his lip, as he followed her in. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her in the opposite direction of where she was going. "Honey, I need to go check on my frogs-where are we going?" she said, brows furrowing. Cornelius just smiled, not saying a word.

He led her down a hall, letting her look around. Her eyes fell on pictures hanging on the walls-her and Cornelius on their wedding day, her and her brothers at a family reunion, Cornelius and his parents the day he got adopted. Hm, she thought to herself, I don't remember these being here…

"Um, sweetheart, where did all these pictures come from?"

Cornelius stopped in front of a large door and looked down at her. "I've always had them, but I never thought about hanging them up. Then I got an idea recently after something you said, and I thought what better way to make you happy than to give you your own space." Franny tilted her head in confusion. "This space belongs to you now," he said. Franny's face fell a bit before he continued. "Don't worry, there's more. Stay right here."

He instructed her to close her eyes before entering the large room. "Okay, guys, when we come through the door, you start playing." Frankie gave him a thumbs up, white tuxedo sparkling in the low lighting. He came back out and smiled; Franny looked so cute when she was covering her face like that. Cornelius gently pulled her forward, taking her hands off her eyes. When she opened them back up she gasped. In place of the regular old blue and white doors were two large doors twice the size painted a soft purple. What caught her eye though were the two music notes door handles.

"Cornelius?" she asked softly as he pulled the doors open. Suddenly the room was filled with music, the frogs hitting each note perfectly. Frankie started singing the only song he knew, making Franny cover her mouth in surprise.

Cornelius grabbed one of his wife's hands, pulling her in so she could look around. Her mouth fell open as she took in the purple curtains framing the walls, the miniature risers filling the room, the grand piano in the corner. The blond couldn't help smiling like a fool at his Franny's expression. She thought he forgot about her. He laughed. How could he forget the most important woman in his life?

"Cornelius?" she asked again, her eyes tearing up.

"I know you've been feeling like you're crowding me in the lab-and you haven't been, I promise-but I knew you were also too stubborn to ask for a place of your own." Franny looked at him indignantly. He laughed again. "So, for the last few weeks I've had some guys help me out with renovating this space. It's all yours," he said, gesturing to the room around them.

"Oh, honey…I don't even-thank you!" she said, throwing herself at him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, lifting her off her toes.

"Would you like to know what I've named this room?" he whispered, his heart thumping in time with the music. Franny simply nodded as he set her down and pulled away. He shot her a quick smile and walked back out the door and looked up. Franny's eyes followed, her breath catching in her throat as she took in the words on the large gold plaque in front of them. He looked down at her, his expression more serious as he said, "Welcome to the Matilda Robinson Music Hall." She covered her mouth again and closed her eyes, tears already streaming down her cheeks. He wrapped himself around her again and whispered, "Happy anniversary, Franny."

"Franny, sweetheart, it's time for bed," Cornelius said softly as he rubbed his wife's shoulders. She looked up at him standing behind the couch in their bedroom and smiled. His heart fluttered as he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Come to bed with me?"

She half smiled up at him and nodded. "In a minute." He tilted his head. "Sit down," she said patting the cushion next to her. He stepped around the couch and sat down, his eyes never leaving her form.

"Aren't you tired?" he teased.

She chuckled, then looked away. "Actually…I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh?" he said, his stomach dropping suddenly. I really hope she doesn't ask for another divorce, he though worriedly.

Sensing the fear in his voice, she quickly replied, "It's nothing bad." He let out a relieved sigh and she smiled. "I wanted to talk about…" she trailed off, taking a deep breath as she looked Cornelius directly in the eye. "I think I'm ready to try to have another baby."

The young man's eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped. "Are-are you sure-"

"I've had a lot of time to think, and I've decided that we shouldn't let the pain of what happened last time prevent us from trying again. I mean, aren't you the one who's always saying we shouldn't dwell on the past? It's like you always say," she said, grinning.

Cornelius didn't say anything for a minute, too stunned by Franny's proclamation to think straight. After a moment he realized she was staring at him, her face falling a bit. Suddenly his face broke out into a huge grin. "Oh, Franny, this is fantastic!" he said, pulling her face closer so he could kiss her. They parted, Cornelius exhaling the words, "Let's start right now."

Cornelius picked her up and carried her over to the bed, both of them grinning as they looked at each other, the image of the future hopefully imprinted in their minds.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Soooo...this is the third time uploading this chapter. I'm not entirely sure what happened the first two times I uploaded, but something weird happened where it added a bunch on nonsense before each paragraph.

Anywho, just as a slight warning (do I really need to warn you?) this chapter does contain some hanky panky, so consider yourself warned. ;)

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing!

Enjoy!

Chapter 11: Try, Try Again

July 2024

Franny paced in her bathroom, nervously glancing every so often at the sink. She paused, looking down at the item placed precariously on the edge, tempted for a moment to pick it up before the two minutes were up. She sighed, bringing her fingers close to her mouth, trying very hard not to bite her nails. This was nerve-wracking; after she and Cornelius had decided to try to have another baby, they had tried mercilessly to conceive again, going so far as to even skip meals. Of course, that had everyone turning their heads, so they tried to be less conspicuous about when and where they would do it.

She had been so scared when she went back to Dr. Shelton and told her she wanted to try again. The older woman had smiled and given her an examination, determining whether or not Franny's body was ready for such a task. She had run some tests, asked her questions, then seemingly out of nowhere she had frowned and left the room. The words that had come out of the doctor's mouth when she came back into the room still haunted her every thought: "Mrs. Robinson, I don't know how to say this, but," Dr. Shelton had started, her face shadowed with concern, "Franny, it's a miracle you even got pregnant in the first place. Your body most likely can't handle another pregnancy. But if by some miracle you are able to conceive again, well," she had trailed off.

Franny couldn't describe how much it hurt to hear she may never have a child. The pain seemed to swallow her, drowning out the older woman's words. Tears welled in Franny's eyes as she closed them, covering her face with her hands. How was she going to tell Cornelius? The thought of her husband finding out she was infertile made her heart wrench.

"I'm so sorry, Franny," Dr. Shelton had said, placing a hand on her the brunette's slouched shoulder before leaving the room. She had cried for what seemed like an eternity before she took one last shuddering breath and wiped her eyes dry. At that moment she decided she wasn't going to tell her husband. No, she was not going to have him think she was broken (even though he had sworn up and down he didn't think so) and she was going to have another baby if it was the last thing she did.

The timer on Franny's phone went off, signaling the end of the two minutes. She gasped as it interrupted her thoughts, pulling her back into her dark reality. With a shaky hand and closed eyes, she reached down to pick up the pregnancy test. She opened her eyes to look and felt her stomach drop. Negative. The singular line seemingly laughed at her as she tried her hardest not to break down. Again. She drew in a breath and bent down to open the cabinet under the sink. She pulled out a little grocery store bag and tossed in the test, it clacking against the twenty-something other negative tests. She looked at them for a second too long before quickly tying the bag closed and hiding it behind hair products.

Franny was a fighter, always had been and always would be, but the thought of telling her husband that she couldn't seem to get pregnant again made her feel like she was losing the fight. She knew he was out in the bedroom, probably reading or taking a nap, considering he had taken a rare day off of work, and couldn't seem to bring herself to open the door and face him. She wrung her hands as she looked at the white door, contemplating, but ultimately deciding she would act as if nothing was wrong. She took a deep breath and turned the knob, running smack into her husband on her way out.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry," the blond said, trying not to laugh. He looked at her face, noting the tightness around her mouth as her eyes tried to say she was fine. His smile fell. "Franny?"

"I'm okay, honey. Are you ready for dinner?" she asked, walking past him. Before she could get very far a hand in hers stopped her from going anywhere. She turned and looked up at him.

He sighed, not sure what to say. He knew Franny was struggling with trying to conceive and that it was bothering her, but he didn't want to let on that he knew, opting to just kiss her to keep her distracted. She exhaled, her eyes fluttering shut at the contact as he deepened the kiss. He started to walk them over to the bed, and for a split second Franny almost went along with it, but she knew if they skipped dinner again, they would be full-on interrogated during Family Night.

She broke away, looking up at Cornelius with a small smile. "Come on, we can't miss dinner again." She giggled as he pouted, grabbing his hand and leading the way downstairs.

...

Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, months turned to years, and still there was no baby Robinson. Franny was beginning to beat herself up whenever she was alone, telling herself she would never be a mother, that Cornelius didn't really want to be with her, that he only wanted a baby, which she couldn't even give him. She tried not to let the guilt show in front of her family, knowing if she even frowned once, someone would catch on and bombard her with questions about if she was okay, if she was feeling well, etc.

But what bothered Franny most of all was Cornelius; never once did he say a thing about her not being pregnant. He never once tried to make her feel guilty for not giving him an heir to his ever-growing fortune. No, instead all he did was love her. He had gotten in the habit of bringing her flowers every so often, like he had when they were dating, just to see her smile. He didn't seem to care that she was fighting an inner battle, never once bringing it up. Quite frankly she was sick of it. She hated how happy he was, always smiling and ready to sweep her off her feet every chance her got. The envy grew inside her, making her retread to her music room whenever she could, always stopping to look at the name on the plaque before going in. Sometimes she would disappear for hours, the whole family not hearing from her all day, distracting herself by keeping busy (which truth be told was really paying off for the frogs-they were getting better every day). Only Cornelius knew about her special room, but he never intruded, at least not without her permission, so he kept his distance. He knew better than to force her to talk about her feelings; she would talk when she was ready.

The growing distance between them only seemed to make Franny hostile towards her husband, snapping at him for seemingly unimportant things. One morning Franny had gotten out of bed to use the bathroom and Cornelius, not knowing she was in there, had walked in on her to brush his teeth, something he had done hundreds of times with no complaints. Only that morning, instead of the usual "Good morning, honey" he was greeted with "Cornelius, you get out of here right now!" He had been so started by her and her harsh words that he immediately retreated into the bedroom, the door he just came through slamming behind him.

...

February 2024

"Franny," Cornelius asked, leaning over the table his wife was sitting at in their bedroom. She stared at his hand, annoyance bubbling inside her. "What are you doing this Saturday?" She looked up at him, curiosity piqued; he was a very busy man and almost never asked her out anymore, but his crooked smile made her feel like he was asking her out on their first date. She couldn't help but give a small grin back.

"I don't believe I have any plans. Why do you ask?" she said, sliding the bookmark in and closing the book.

"If that's the case, then Mrs. Robinson, would you like to go out with me?"

"Why, Mr. Robinson, I thought you'd never ask," she said, giggling.

...

"I had a really nice time," Franny said shyly as Cornelius parked the car in the garage. He turned the car off, it floating for a moment before lowering itself to the ground. The dim light of the garage shone on Franny's face softly, her skin glowing.

Cornelius smiled at her, taking her hand in his and kissing it. She felt her heart flutter, all thoughts about babies and frustration and infertility far from her mind as he said, "So did I." She couldn't tell, but at that moment, it felt like time stood still as he leaned in, his lips hovering over hers, neither one wanting the moment to end.

The date had been perfect, first with dinner at their favorite restaurant, then with a flight over the lake as they stargazed through the skylight in the roof of the car. It felt like their first date all over again, both of them feeling butterflies flutter around in their stomachs as he prepared to kiss her. Oh, yes. It felt exactly like the first time.

Cornelius exhaled slightly before reaching his hand up and running his fingers through Franny's hair, gently guiding her lips to his. His heart felt like it would burst any moment from joy, it thudding in his chest as he kissed his wife passionately, Franny eagerly accepting each and every touch.

He moved his hand down to her neck, brushing the skin with his hand. Franny shivered and pulled away from the kiss, tilting her head to the side as Cornelius leaned forward and started sprinkling kisses on her exposed neck.

"Mmm, honey," she moaned softly.

He looked her directly in the eye, his face serious. "Franny, I just want you to know how much I love you and that I would never even think about leaving you. You hear me? I love you so much," he said, pressing his lips on hers again.

She nodded, lifting herself up so he would have better access to the rest of her. He smiled into her lips as his hands found their way to her thighs. He gently pulled her over to his side so she could straddle his hips as he moved the seat so that it sat back. She giggled, her hands working on removing his sweater vest. "Right here?" she asked, looking at the garage door to make sure no one had opened it.

"I can't wait another minute," he said, already lifting her dress over her hips. His fingers brushed her inner thigh, making her moan, "me, either." Their hands worked quickly to undress each other, occasionally having an article get stuck somewhere, to which they would both laugh and continue.

Cornelius looked up at his beautiful wife, her exposed body glowing in the light, as she sunk ever so slowly down onto him. His hands gripped her legs, his mouth opened slightly. He moaned as she came all the way down, their hips finally making contact. He felt his breath quicken as she sat there for a moment, looking down at him. "Franny?" he whispered.

She smiled and leaned down, connecting their lips once more. When she pulled away, she said, "I love you, sweetheart," before beginning to lift herself up and coming back down.

Cornelius let out a series of breathy moans, his hands helping to lift Franny up and pull her back down again. Her legs were crying from exhaustion, but she ignored the pain, trying every time she came back down to get closer to her husband. She didn't care about anything at that moment, only about the love she and Cornelius were making, their sounds floating around inside the car with them. She leaned her head back, her mouth opening to let out a long moan. Cornelius couldn't help staring at her, the skin on her chest glistening in the low light. He pulled her forward a bit and put his lips around one of her nipples, suckling lightly, effectively making her gasp.

He could feel himself getting to that familiar edge as Franny continued to ride him, her nails digging into his shoulders as she bounced up and down more frantically. Cornelius groaned. "Franny, I'm so close," he whispered in her ear.

"Me…too," she gasped out, feeling him wrap his arms tightly around her waist. He helped her lift up and down until finally he felt her tighten around him. She moaned his name, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself as she trembled in his arms. He kissed the side of her head as he continued to thrust into her, grateful when she started moving her hips again. With one final thrust he cried out Franny's name, greedily kissing her lips as he came back down to earth.

They both sat there panting for what seemed like an eternity, neither one wanting to break the silence. Unfortunately, the world was still spinning around them and they knew one of them would have to say something.

Cornelius smiled up at his wife, running a hand through her thick black locks that had somehow come undone. "We should probably head inside. Don't want the family worrying," he said softly.

Franny nodded, touching her forehead to his. "Okay, but I'm not cleaning this up," she said as she lifted herself off him, quickly sliding her panties back on so she didn't make a mess. Cornelius groaned sarcastically before chuckling. "Let's go inside," she said, already dressed before Cornelius had even put his pants back on.

...

"Sweetheart?" Cornelius said quietly, gazing down at his wife who was smiling contently into his chest. He smiled as his hand trailed down her back leaving goosebumps in its wake. He loved that little quirk about his wife.

She looked up at him. "What is it, honey?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I know," he said, his face now serious.

Franny tilted her head. "Know what?" she asked, a wave of fear coursing through her.

He met her gaze. "I, uh, found the pregnancy tests. Honey, why didn't you tell me? We could've handled it together-"

Franny pushed away suddenly, tears brimming in her eyes. "I didn't want to tell you. You didn't need to know that I'm infertile," she choked out, quickly getting up and running into the bathroom, slamming the door as Cornelius said "Franny, wait!"

He felt his heart drop. Infertile? It couldn't be… Cornelius sighed, dropping his head into his hands, the familiar feeling of frustration starting to eat at him again. He knew Wilbur was supposed to be born this year, next year at the very latest. It was getting down to the wire and he was getting anxious, but of course he couldn't tell Franny because she was dealing with her own problems. He groaned, rubbing his face. "Please just talk to me," he said to himself.

Franny pulled the bag out from under the sink, now almost completely full. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at the failed tests, her heart breaking more and more as she recounted every time she took one and discovered she still hadn't conceived. She knew it would never happen, yet she still hoped against all hope that she could have just one more chance at being a mother.

She dropped to her knees and cried.

...

Early March 2024

"Alright, boys, take ten," Franny said, tossing her baton to the side somewhere. She rubbed her temples; the amphibians had finally picked up playing instruments and were actually sounding really good, but at the moment she couldn't appreciate the progress or concentrate on rehearsal in general. Ever since breakfast that morning, she had felt slightly nauseous, quickly blaming it on the sausages.

"You got it, boss," Frankie said as he and the rest of the frogs hopped down and headed out the door. Franny sighed as she looked at the place Donnie used to stand on the risers. She felt her heart clench as she was reminded that he was no longer with them, having succumbed to the side effects of the genetic enhancement made on him. She hadn't meant to kill him, but when he died she blamed herself. A tear threatened to break free, but she quickly rubbed it away.

She sighed and sat down at a table, her mind wandering to Cornelius. She felt guilty for having rejected his goodbye kiss when he left for work that morning, but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye. Ever since he had admitted to finding the pregnancy tests she had this horrible guilty feeling weighing her down, but she couldn't and wouldn't admit she was being childish. If she was being honest, she was waiting for Cornelius to apologize for going through her things. She bit her thumb, eyes glazing over as the frogs came back into the room.

"Hey, boss, we're back," Fabian said as he approached his spot on the stands.

"Wonderful, let's get back to work," Franny said, pushing her thoughts into the back of her mind.

...

About a week later

Franny woke up to an empty bed, her arm outstretched as though she were reaching for her husband in her sleep. She sighed. He still hadn't apologized, but she knew he felt bad because every time he would try to talk to her about something he would give her that look that said "Is this a safe subject?" She turned over and sat up, her head spinning slightly at the motion. Franny moaned, bile rising up in her throat. She threw a hand over her mouth and made a mad dash for the bathroom, stunned as she bent over the toilet and vomited.

She took a few breaths to steady herself, not completely awake yet and feeling very disoriented. The brunette sat back on her heels and closed her eyes, trying to tell her brain she wasn't about to get sick again. It didn't work.

...

Franny went into the bathroom after dinner as Cornelius headed to the lab, just like she had gotten so used to doing. Before that night in the garage she had almost given up on having a baby, knowing it would be fruitless to hope that maybe the next time it would work. She had stopped trying back in December, never really telling her husband she was giving up. But something in her told her to take another test. Her mind had replied with, "Are you kidding? You know I'm not pregnant." Still, her heart said otherwise. Ever since that morning when she had gotten sick, something in her told her that maybe just maybe this was it.

She tried hard not to let her hopes get too high as she sat on the toilet and peed on the stick. She told her heart to stop beating so fast, that it might fly out of her chest if she didn't calm down. She tried to tell herself to not be disappointed when the test read negative. And she tried her very hardest not to let the tears roll down her cheeks as she waited impatiently for the timer to go off.

Timidly, after what had seemed like a lifetime, Franny picked up the test and brought it close to her face. She gasped.

"Oh, my God," Franny whispered to herself, her hand covering her mouth. Her eyes were already welling up. "Oh, my God," she repeated. She held up the little white stick so she could see the double lines a bit clearer, not quite believing it. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, her hair in a perfect bun, the dress she wore too bright in the lights, her face a clear mix of confusion, happiness, and fear. Confused because she had told herself for so long this would never happen, yet here it was, taking place right now. Happiness because everything she had wanted for the past three years was finally becoming a reality. And fear because of Cornelius. Oh, God, how was she going to tell him? He would be so angry-or would he? She shook her head, deciding at that moment she wasn't going to tell him or anyone else for that matter; it may sound selfish, but she couldn't bring herself to share this secret that was entirely hers for the time being. She wanted to relish this feeling of accomplishment. She was pregnant and she was over the moon.

She placed a hand over her abdomen and smiled, tears falling freely onto her dress. "I love you already, my little miracle."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Hey, everyone! I just want to say thank you to everyone who has been following and enjoying my story. It means a lot to me when I get positive feedback on something I'm working really hard on.

Side note, I never really intended for this story to be this long, but to be perfectly honest, I think it works for this story. There will be I'm thinking maybe two or three more chapters, so for those of you who like long fics, I think you'll be happy.

P.S., Last chapter started with July 2024, but it was supposed to be July 2021. Sorry for the confusion!

Disclaimer: I don't own Meet the Robinsons (sigh)

Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Over the Rainbow

March 2024

Cornelius could feel something different about her, how her eyes shone with happiness for the first time in months, the way she stopped to talk to everyone in the hallway to ask them how they were, the way she seemed to dance her way into bed each night. He couldn't pinpoint this sudden change, but couldn't complain, especially when he was the subject at which she was smiling so brightly. This was the Franny he knew so well and loved so selflessly. He sat in his lab working on a new invention, smiling like an idiot as he thought about the way she had pulled him into a passionate kiss after dinner before he headed up to the lab. He sighed contentedly, setting down his wrench and standing up. Cornelius knew Franny would be in music rehearsal right about now and decided he would give her a little visit.

He tiptoed down the hall leading up to the double doors with the music notes for doorknobs, trying not to let the door creak as he opened it slowly. The soft sound of a beautiful symphony drifted to his ears. He furrowed his brow, confused by the singular instrument, but also in awe at the beautiful sound it was creating. He gently closed the door and made his way further into the room, quickly spotting Franny at her piano. The blond looked at the empty risers. Hm. Must be break time.

Franny's eyes were closed as she felt her way around the keys, her dress softly cascading over the back of the bench. He smiled, content to just stand there and watch her play, one of his favorite pastimes. The song came to a halt suddenly when Franny bent over and shuddered, a strange mangled sound escaping her lips. Curious at this sudden change in behavior, Cornelius stood there watching as his wife wept. He frowned and took a step forward, reaching for his wife's shoulder. "Franny?" he asked, concerned.

Franny gasped and quickly stood, spinning on her heel, already preparing herself for a fight. Cornelius looked up at her stunned, the brunette reciprocating the expression. She rolled her eyes, placing her hands on her hips. "What are doing in here?" she said a bit too accusatorily.

Cornelius looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought I'd come listen in to rehearsal. Guess that's not happening tonight…"

Franny turned around, closing the piano. "No, I gave the boys the night off."

"Oh," he said, studying her thin frame.

She turned around and looked him in the eye. He smiled down at her, but she couldn't return it, the guilt too strong. She had been thinking about telling him that she was pregnant, but every time she came close, something told her not to. Something always interrupted.

"On another note-ha, another note," he chuckled to himself, Franny giving him a look. "Anyway, on another note, you sounded great. I miss hearing you play," he said, wrapping his hand around hers. "Will you play me something?" he asked shyly.

Franny felt warmth engulf her at his soft words. She forced a smile. "Of course, sweetheart. What would you like to hear?"

'I'd like to hear you say you're pregnant,' he thought, the harsh words ringing in his ears. He reprimanded himself as soon as he thought it.

"Play our wedding song?" he said quietly.

"Coming right up," she smiled, stretching her fingers before touching the keys. Her fingers danced across the ivory, creating the most stunning sounds Cornelius had ever heard. His grin grew wider with each passing note, a tear welling in his eye at the beauty. Franny played the last chord, her hands lingering for a moment. He took the opportunity to place his hand lightly over hers as their gazes connected. He brushed his thumb over her cheek before leaning in and pressing his lips softly against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed.

Cornelius pulled away and whispered, "Join me upstairs?"

Franny looked at him for a moment, studying the crooked smile on his smooth features. For a fleeting moment she thought about blurting out her secret, ultimately deciding the timing didn't feel right. The guilt came soon after, her mind screaming that it was his baby, too and that he needed to know, but she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud. Especially after what happened the last time she announced…

"Of course, honey," she said, giving him a closed-lipped smile. He nodded and stood before turning to leave the room.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered as the door closed.

...

Mid-April 2024

"Happy birthday, Cornelius!" almost a dozen voices yelled at the same time. The young man sat bolt upright in his bed, his arm immediately reaching out for his wife. Franny saw the reaction and giggled as he realized she was standing with the rest of the family and not lying in bed with him.

Cornelius' face broke out into a huge grin as his family sang "Happy Birthday" loudly and very much out of key (except for Franny, of course). His mom and dad held a birthday cake with twenty-nine candles on it. He closed his eyes and blew them out. "Thank you, guys," he said genuinely, blushing a bit when Franny leaned down and kissed him, the two of them sharing a sweet smile.

"Okay, guys, can you please not make out in front of us again?" Tallulah said, rolling her eyes, to which the couple just laughed.

"Oh, come on sis. I think it's sweet," Lazlo said, making Tallulah gag.

"Alright, big guy," Lucille interjected before the siblings could start their daily argument. "Get on out of that bed! We have a lot to do today," she said clapping.

Cornelius huffed and dragged himself out of bed. "Happy?" he asked smirking.

"Yep!" his mother replied. "Now, come on," she said, leading the family out of the room, the blond following sleepily.

...

Cornelius was having the time of his life celebrating his twenty-ninth birthday with his family, but as the day went by he became more and more suspicious. It started when the family took him out to his favorite restaurant for lunch; he watched as Franny ordered a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, then barely touched it. She ended up getting a box and giving it to Carl to save for later. Then when they took him to his favorite park, Franny refused to get on the carousel, one of her favorite rides. He managed to convince her to take one ride, but she didn't seem to enjoy it very much. It was odd, though, because even though she didn't look like she felt very well, Cornelius couldn't help but notice she was positively glowing, her smile lighting up her face.

After they left the park, the Robinsons decided to go to a local bowling alley to have some good old fashioned fun, but again, Franny opted out for some reason unbeknownst to the rest of the family. When they finished their game-which was a tie between Gaston and Carl-as a last stop they took Cornelius to another extravagant restaurant, where they of course had to embarrass the young genius by announcing to the entire building he was now "One year away from thirty!" (He would never admit it, but he loved every minute of it). Cornelius had blushed and quickly ordered desert: a double decker chocolate cake, his favorite. It was while he and Franny shared that cake that he realized the answer was staring him in the face. He hid the knowing grin.

Franny had almost told him so many times that day, always stopping herself right before her secret slipped off her tongue. Finally, she decided she'd had enough keeping secrets from her husband, opting to tell him in a way she knew only he would understand. She pretended like she didn't know Cornelius was watching while they ate dessert and knew just what she had to do.

...

Cornelius laughed as he twirled his brown-eyed lover into their bedroom, stopping the motion to dip her. She laughed, playfully batting his shoulder. "Man, I had such a great time today," the blond said, lifting Franny back up to peck her lips.

"Me, too," she replied, putting her sweater on a hanger and placing it in the closet. The room went quiet. She paused, sensing his eyes on her back. Cornelius said nothing, only standing there biting his lip. He didn't know if he should smile or not, unsure if he was even right. Franny hesitated, then turned around, meeting his gaze. She smiled. "What is it, sweetheart?"

He exhaled. "Franny," he whispered.

Her heart leapt in her chest. "Yes, honey?"

He swallowed. He almost looked away, but forced himself to keep eye contact. "Are you…" he trailed off.

She tilted her head. "Am I what?"

He snickered. "Are you pregnant?" he asked quietly.

Franny looked away first, turning back to the closet. "What makes you say that?" she asked, her fingers playing with the fabric on a dress.

"Franny?" He took a step toward her.

The brunette turned around timidly, her eyes not quite meeting his. "Funny you should ask that," she said walking over to her bedside table. Cornelius' eyes followed her as she rummaged through the drawer and pulled something out. She stared intently at the ground as she handed him the incriminating evidence.

He held the object in his hand, too scared to look down. Finally, Franny lifted her gaze, unable to hide the blush rising on her cheeks. After a moment of uncertainty, the blond looked down and gasped, doing a double take.

"Franny?" he asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. She bit her lip and nodded. Quicker than she could think, Cornelius had picked her up and was spinning her in circles. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. Suddenly Cornelius tripped over himself and sent the two of them crashing onto the bed, Franny falling on top of him. They looked at each other for a moment before they both burst into joyous laughter.

The tried to catch their breath for a few minutes before they finally settled down. Cornelius rolled himself over Franny and looked down at his wife, who now had a knowing smirk on her elegant features. "How did you know?" she asked, biting her lip.

The blond gave her a pointed look, taking her hand in his. He cleared his throat dramatically. "Well, for one thing, I haven't seen you this happy in quite some time. And I'm not saying that you aren't happy normally, but lately it's been different. You've had this radiance about you that I couldn't quite pinpoint…until today," he said, smirking.

Franny tried to hide the sheepish smile threatening to break out on her face. "Oh? And just what tipped you off, Mr. Genius Man?"

Cornelius closed his eyes and chuckled. Franny bit her lip as he looked her in the eye again and said, "Franny, literally no one eats ketchup on chocolate cake." They looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter again.

"I-had to-tell you somehow," Franny gasped, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Cornelius captured her lips in a kiss as the brunette giggled, "Happy birthday."

...

May 2024

"Honestly, Franny, I'm still amazed that you got pregnant again," Dr. Shelton said as she watched the ultrasound monitor.

Franny grimaced, trying not to think too much about the doctor's words. She felt Cornelius squeeze her hand and turned to glance at him. The grin on his face made her heart swell. "It's okay," he whispered.

"Alright, are we ready to know what Baby Robinson is?" Dr. Shelton said, moving the probe over Franny's bare stomach.

"Boy," Cornelius whispered as Dr. Shelton announced the baby was indeed male.

Franny's face lit up, but not nearly as much as her husband's. "Wilbur," they said in unison.

...

They had celebrated for a bit, but eventually Dr. Shelton had kicked Cornelius out of the room so she could talk to Franny in private. The brunette sat up on the table, her hand resting protectively over her abdomen.

"Alright, Franny, it looks like Wilbur is growing normally. Everything is developing properly, so I'm not too worried about him. I would, however, like to keep an eye on him and you to be sure everything stays fine, especially considering what happened last time," she said, placing her hand on Franny's shoulder. "I want to make sure your body can handle this pregnancy, but I believe as long as I keep an eye on you two, he'll be perfect."

"But," Franny said, hesitating to complete her sentence. "What if something does go wrong this time?" she continued, worry evident on her face.

"Actually," the doctor said, perking up a bit. "There's been a lot of technological advances since your last pregnancy. Recently we were gifted incubation pods, artificial wombs if you will, to help keep alive premature babies born as early as five months." Franny's eyes widened. "The premature child is transported immediately into one of these pods, which is designed to act as a mother's womb. The umbilical cord is attached to the pod where it will get all the nutrients it needs to continue growing naturally. The baby won't know the difference. It's been tested rigorously on many babies, and we've been very pleased with the results. Ninety percent of the children survived." Franny's brows furrowed in concern. "Not to worry, though. This device has been tested on almost one-thousand babies nationwide. Unfortunately, there are still certain situations that even science can't cure," Dr. Shelton said seriously.

"So, you're saying even if Wilbur is born early, he will most likely survive?" Franny said uncertainly.

Dr. Shelton half smiled. "Precisely."

...

Cornelius looked up from the book he was reading, his glasses sliding down his nose. He pushed them back up and stood, walking over to his wife who had come out of the triage alone. "Is everything alright?" he asked, his eyebrows creased.

Franny smiled up at him, taking his hand as they walked out of the office. "Everything is perfect."

...

"When should we tell the family?"

Cornelius looked over to his wife on the other end of the couch rubbing circles on her belly as she stared at the wall. She glanced at him, giggling at the look on his face when she wiggled her toes under his leg. He blinked. "That's going to be up to you," he said, setting his book on the coffee table. He turned back to her, taking a small hand in his and playing with the ring on her finger absently. "But Franny…" he trailed off, glancing down at the hand rubbing circles.

Her hand paused, brown eyes following blue ones downward, then back up to meet once more. She raised an eyebrow inquisitively. "What?"

Cornelius bit his lip. "Honey…I don't mean to sound rude, but, um, you've gained some weight-"

"Excuse me?" Franny interrupted, pushing away her husband's hand.

"No, no, no," he said, trying to dig himself out of his hole. "I just mean to say you're starting to show," he finished, lifting his hands in a defensive motion.

Franny opened her mouth, then thought better of the harsh comment she was about to say and closed it. She looked down at herself again, studying her tummy, then got up and walked over to the vanity on the other side of the room. She looked at herself straight on, then slowly turned to the side. She sighed. "Hmm. I guess you're right," she mumbled, moving her hand down the bump that was now becoming visible.

Cornelius walked over to where she stood, wrapping his arms around her and placing his chin on the top of her head. He smiled down at her, eyes meeting hers in the reflection. "I'd like to think I usually am," he said smirking. Franny grinned and rolled her eyes. "Join me in the Jacuzzi?" he asked, tilting his head.

Franny turned around in his arms, standing on her tip-toes to kiss him. "Sure."

...

Late May 2024

"I want to go first!" Tallulah cried, trying to pry the dice from her brother's hands.

"You heard Cornelius. It's my turn to go first," Lazlo said, trying his very hardest to pull his arm away from a frazzled eleven-year-old.

"What about ladies first?"

"Tallulah, please," Cornelius scolded, noting the pained look on his wife's face. "Franny has a headache, please just let Lazlo go first."

The young girl huffed, letting go of her brother's hand. "Fine," she grumbled.

Lazlo rolled the dice, finally initiating the game. Lucille and Art looked at Franny worriedly, her face in a noticeable frown, a far cry from her lately usual brilliant smile. "Franny, if you're not feeling well, you don't have to play. We can postpone family night," Art said from his seat across from his sister. Franny looked up at him suddenly, as if she had been yanked out of a deep thought.

"What? Oh, no. I'm fine," she said, straightening her posture to prove her point. Art nodded doubtfully.

Lucille looked on, studying the young woman's demeanor. She had noticed that the woman in question had been acting differently recently, but the most noticeable change (at least to a renowned scientist) was the change in wardrobe. It hadn't been a huge change, but she had noticed it, nonetheless. For several weeks now, Franny had been wearing baggy clothing (never sweatpants, though-far too casual for her taste), seemingly always opting out of wearing the customary belt around her thin waist. The older woman squinted her eyes, trying to solve the riddle that was her daughter-in-law.

"Lucille, it's your turn," Bud said, nudging his wife playfully.

Many turns later, the family was nearly at each other's throats. Cornelius swallowed as he rolled the dice and moved his piece on the board, groaning when he landed on a blue square. He looked at his mother, pleading with his eyes, but she just grinned evilly back at him. "Pay up," she said, holding her hand out.

"But I'll go bankrupt-"

"That's the game-"

"How is she winning?"

"I quit!" Franny shouted, dramatically flipping the board over and sending game pieces and fake money everywhere. The family gasped, freezing as they stared at the brunette. Breathing heavily, she stood up about to walk out of the room when she felt a hand on hers.

"Francesca?" Cornelius whispered, his eyes inquiring something without words. Gaston and Art raised their eyebrows at each other, never hearing the inventor call their sister by her formal name before outside of their wedding.

She looked down at him, taking a deep breath and nodding. She sighed, turning to face the family as Cornelius stood beside her. "Sorry for the outburst," she began, a small smile playing on her features. The gamily stared at her, not sure of how to respond. None of them had ever seen Franny so disgruntled before. She sighed. "I owe you all an explanation. For my behavior for the past few months. You see," she said, placing a hand on her husband's chest. "Cornelius and I decided a little while after my mis-" she cut herself off, not wanting to complete the sentence.

"You're doing great, Franny," the blond whispered in her ear.

She closed her eyes and continued. "After my miscarriage, we decided we would try to have another baby. Well, as you can tell, our attempts have been fruitless." She smiled up at her husband, who reciprocated. "Until now," she finished, a hand going instinctively to her abdomen.

The room went still. Jaws dropped, and tears welled as the couple beamed at each other. Lucille was the first one to break the silence, running up to Franny and wrapping her in a warm hug. "Oh, Franny, I'm so happy for you!" the older woman exclaimed, not bothering to wipe away the joyful tears. Cornelius felt his heart leap, wrapping his mother and wife in an embrace of his own. Soon enough, the entire family was engaged in the warmest group hug Cornelius had ever experience. He wouldn't have changed it for the world.

...

June 2024

"Five, six, seven, eight," Franny bellowed, her hand conducting an enthusiastic band of amphibians through music rehearsal. The grin that had broken out on her face the night she announced her pregnancy had never faltered, greeting everyone she met with undeniable happiness. The frogs had picked up on her mood and began working extra hard in rehearsals to please her. They knew they had their debut performance coming up in July and didn't want to be the reason Franny lost her composure.

Frankie crooned the last note of a song the brunette had composed specifically for him, smiling smugly at the maestro. "That was great, right?" he asked, straightening his tie.

Franny chuckled, tossing her baton to the side. "It was brilliant, Frankie. Oh," she said, suddenly aware of the movement coming from her abdomen. "And I think little Wilbur liked it, too," she said, smiling proudly.

"Wilbur?" Frankie asked, obviously out of the loop.

Franny nodded. "Mmhmm. Wilbur. I'm having a baby."

"A baby? Inside you? How big is he?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, he's not very big right now," Franny said, rubbing her stomach. "About two pounds, I think."

"Oh, so he's basically a tadpole," Frankie replied.

Franny froze, her mouth opening. Her brows furrowed for a split second before her face lit up. "I guess you could say that." She giggled. "Alright, boys. That's enough for tonight. You're free to go."

The amphibians hopped down off their risers, heading toward the newly installed travel tube in the corner, disappearing one by one. Franny looked down at her tummy, grinning. "Come on, my little tadpole."

...

"Everything looks fine, Franny," Dr. Shelton reassured the brunette for the tenth time in the last five minutes. "A little spotting here and there during pregnancy is normal. As for the pain," she said, looking at her clipboard. "Your body is just growing to make room for the baby. If you like I can prescribe you some medication to ease the pain, but overall I don't think you have any reason to worry."

Franny creased her brow and bit her lip, not sure of what to say. "But you're sure he's okay?"

Dr. Shelton exhaled through her nose, trying to stay patient. "Franny, I assure you. Wilbur is perfect. He's exactly where he needs to be." She offered a half smile. "Now please stop worrying and enjoy your pregnancy."

Franny drove home by herself, having not told Cornelius about the scare she'd had that morning with a cramp that seemed eerily familiar. She parked the car in the garage, enjoying the silence for a moment. Suddenly the door opened and a frantic Cornelius came rushing to her door. "Franny, where have you been? I was worried sick," he said pulling her into a hug.

She breathed in his scent, a surprisingly pleasant aroma wafting into her nostrils. "Sorry, sweetheart. I had to run some errands," she fibbed. She craned her head up to look at him. "Do I smell mom's famous chocolate chip cookies?" Cornelius rolled his eyes and led them back inside.

...

July 2024

Franny smiled as she reflected on the night, how amazing Frankie and the Boys had performed at their debut concert. How Cornelius had swept her off her feet with kisses and red roses-her absolute favorite. How someone had come up to her and offered her a million dollars for her singing amphibians. She shook her head at the memory and laughed, knowing no amount of money could buy her precious babies.

Wilbur seemed to detect the happiness radiating around him and bounced around in Franny's tummy. She placed a hand over him, rubbing up and down. "Did you enjoy yourself tonight, my little tadpole?" Suddenly Franny felt a sharp movement under her hand. Although slightly unpleasant, this movement was different. It made her gasp. "Honey! Honey!" she cried, looking around the room for her husband.

Cornelius ran out of the bathroom clad in nothing but a towel, worry evident on his face. "Franny? What's wrong?" he asked, panicking.

"Come here," she said reaching her hand out to pull his closer. Franny guided his hand to the place where she felt the movement, the smile on her face making her cheeks hurt. "Come on, my little tadpole," she said. "Do it again for daddy?"

Cornelius' eyes widened, the same expression slowly spreading across his features. "Franny, he-he kicked!" he said excitedly.

The brunette looked up at him, pure joy on her lovely features. Cornelius beamed down at her for a moment, then suddenly captured her lips in a blissful kiss.

...

"Cornelius, you'll never believe it," Franny said excitedly as she greeted her husband at the door. He hung up his lab coat and pecked her lips, smiling.

"What it is?"

"I've been invited to be a guest speaker at the Summit for Genetic Enhancement next month!" she said, bouncing on the balls of her high heel clad feet.

Blond eyebrows shot up, blue eyes widening. "Really? Franny, that's amazing. Congratulations," he said, pulling her in for a warm hug.

She pulled away, smiling as she rested a hand on her stomach, which was really starting to stick out. "Thank you, honey." The young woman bit her lip. "But it is next month. Really only weeks away," she mumbled to herself. Suddenly she looked up at Cornelius with bright eyes. "I don't suppose it would be weird if I asked for your help?"

Cornelius blinked and creased his brows. "Oh, well, I don't suppose so," he said, a smile playing at his lips. "Of course I'll help you, Franny. When would you like to start?"

"The sooner the better." Cornelius smiled at his wife, taking her hand and leading her up to the lab. He chuckled as she waddled slightly all the way up the stairs.

...

Mid-August 2024

"…thus concludes my presentation on how I was able to genetically modify frogs to be able to comprehend and perform music. Thank you," Franny said, dropping her notecards to her side and sighing. She looked at Cornelius expectantly.

The inventor clapped, a small smile on his face. "That was good, Franny."

The brunette huffed and slumped into a nearby chair. "That's just the problem. It was 'just good.'" She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. Cornelius tilted his head at the gesture he had practically coined for himself. He stood and made his way to his wife, gently massaging her shoulders.

"It's alright. The conference isn't until this weekend. We can tweak the speech, but the overall presentation is fantastic," he said reassuringly. Franny half smiled, staring at the wedding picture sitting atop Cornelius' desk.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. She reached up and laid a hand on his. "I'm just distracted. After all, today is…" she trailed off, unable to complete the sentence. Franny looked sadly at her belly.

"I know," Cornelius said, his hands pausing. He bit the inside of his lip. "Let's go for a walk," he whispered.

...

Cornelius looked up at the tree in front of him and Franny, a far cry from the small patch of dirt that was in its place before. He squeezed his wife's hand, sensing the tension in her arm. "I know you don't like to come out here very often," Cornelius said softly. "But I've had Carl tending to this area out here. This tree," he said, rubbing the bark with a calloused hand, "was made special." Franny listened on, her focus never diverting from the foliage in front of her. "I was able to genetically enhance a few seeds to make it grow faster."

"When did you plant it?" Franny finally spoke up.

Cornelius turned his head in her direction. "The day we buried her." He took a deep breath and turned his body to face her. "There are no other trees like this one, and it can withstand any weather condition. It's strong, just like she would've been," he finished, wiping a tear from Franny's cheek.

...

"Please welcome our next speaker, Dr. Francesca Robinson," a man in his mid-forties said into a mic, greeted by light applause. Cornelius stood up, smiling widely as his wife made her entrance on the stage, waddling up to the podium. He didn't care that people were staring at him, he was too proud of his wife to worry about disapproving glances. He'd been invited to the conference, too, but for a different portion on another day.

Franny cleared her throat, her face turning red as she looked out at the audience. Suddenly a pair of blue eyes met hers and all feelings of uncertainty evaporated from her body. She smiled. "Thank you all for coming," she began.

The young woman went through her speech just as she had practiced it hundreds of times, not even looking at the notes on the podium. She announced the amphibians halfway through and they hopped up on stage ready to perform. Franny stepped aside so the audience could see better, eyes scanning the crowd. She saw jaws dropping, nobody expecting that this woman in front of them was being serious when she said she taught frogs to sing.

Cornelius couldn't help glancing every few seconds at his wife; sure the frogs were entertaining, but he was more concerned about the pained look on Franny's face. He creased his brows as she made her way back to the front of the stage, noticing the sudden tightness in her features.

"Thus, concludes my theory on genetic mutation," Franny announced the end of her presentation, grimacing a little as a subtle pain radiated from her abdomen. She blinked, her heart thudding. "Thank you." She quickly made her way off the stage, hardly registering the deafening applause. As soon as she hit the bottom step backstage she ran into something hard, nearly falling backwards. A pair of large hands grabbed her shoulders to steady her.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," she heard Cornelius say in that calming tone his voice took on when he was trying to comfort her. She grabbed his forearms, taking deep breaths. "You're extremely pale right now, Franny…"

"Let's go home," she breathed out.

Franny didn't say much on the ride home, opting to stare out the window, trying to ignore the cramps. She rubbed little circles over her stomach with one hand, the other gripping her husband's tightly. Cornelius looked over at her, his brows creased. "Franny, is everything okay?"

She turned her head, forcing a weak attempt at a smile. "I'll be alright," she said quietly.

"Ow-Franny, are you trying to break my fingers?" Cornelius asked, attempting to pull his hand away. Suddenly the brunette started inhaling heavily, her eyes closed and her grip getting impossibly tighter. "Franny?"

She realized too late that the cramps were getting very close together. The brunette looked at Cornelius grimly. "Get me to a hospital."

...

"What's going on?" Cornelius demanded, matching the medical staff's stride.

"Dr. Robinson, please calm down," a young nurse said, holding her arms up.

"Tell me what's going on with my wife," he said, desperately trying not to lose his temper.

"She's going into premature labor," the nurse bit out. Franny's eyes widened as they rolled her into a room.

"What?" he said, swallowing the lump in his throat. "She's only six months pregnant. Isn't there anything you can do to stop it-"

"The contractions are too close together, Dr. Robinson. The baby's coming whether we want him to or not." The nurse squeezed Franny's hand as another contraction hit.

"What about Wilbur?" he asked worriedly, going to Franny's other side.

"Not to worry, sir. Every hospital in America is now equipped with-"

"Yes, I know. Is he going to l-live?" he said, his jaw clenched tightly.

The nurse offered a small reassuring smile, trying her best to comfort the woman squeezing the life out of her hand. "I think he'll be just fine."

...

"How're you doing?" Cornelius asked, holding his wife's hand. She looked so small and helpless in the hospital bed, but he couldn't let her see how shaken he was. He knew Franny was going through far more than he was; she had lost so much blood they thought she wasn't going to make it. He silently thanked the universe that his beloved wife was okay.

She closed her eyes, trying weakly to pull her hand away, but he held firm. Franny took a deep breath. "He's so small," she whispered. Cornelius noticed her cheeks were red, no doubt from tears that had since dried. He felt his heart break at her words.

"I know," Cornelius said gently, the image of a too small infant being whisked away from them engrained in his mind. "Hey," he whispered. She forced herself to look at him. "The nurse told me he's been successfully transported into an incubation pod." He tried to smile, rubbing the back of her hand. "They said he'll be just fine."

...

"Yeah, I know," Cornelius said softly into his cell phone. "I will. Yeah. I love you, too, mom," he said, hanging up. He exhaled and put the phone back in his pocket. He had called his mother soon after Wilbur was born, not wanting the family to be out of the loop. Immediately they had all gathered their things and were preparing to take a road trip to a different state to check on his wife. Cornelius had told them they didn't need to worry, that he would give them updates as often as possible. He also had to call work and tell them they would have to do without him for the time being, Dr. Ekhardt instantly agreeing to cover for him for as long as he needed.

Cornelius stared down at the pod in front of him, a tiny underdeveloped human being curled up on its side. If he didn't know any better, he would think little Wilbur was sleeping. The young inventor couldn't help but smile at the tiny tufts of black hair on the infant's head. He marveled at the way his own flesh and blood was right there within his grasp, yet so far out of reach. The brilliant inventor had never felt so helpless, wanting nothing more than to fix his wife and his son, but knowing it was pointless. He exhaled, a finger tracing the "R" on the side of the pod. Cornelius shook his head, remembering clearly the day he had developed the object in question-the day he buried his first child. He had never known pain like that before and vowed from that moment he would do his very best to never let another parent feel that kind of emotional torture again.

Cornelius looked on for a few more minutes, not wanting to take his eyes off his little boy. "Don't worry, Wilbur. Daddy's here. Everything will be alright," he whispered.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hello again, world! I'm so so so sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been in the process of getting a new roommate, so that's where most of my time was spend. Unfortunately this chapter was neglected in the process. I just wanted to say thank you all so much for the fantastic feedback you've been giving me. I never expected anyone to actually read, let alone enjoy this story, so thank you so much again!

I hope this chapter was well worth the wait. ;)

Disclaimer: Again, I don't own Meet the Robinsons

Enjoy!

Chapter 13: Wilbur

Late-October 2024

"He looks just like you," Cornelius murmured in his wife's ear, his breath blowing a stand of hair around.

Franny half smiled. "It's amazing, isn't it? I never thought I'd be able to watch a baby develop right before my eyes. And he's so perfect," she said, marveling at the little wonder that was her baby boy.

The corners of Cornelius' mouth turned up in a proud grin, unbeknownst to his wife; he had never told her that the incubation pod was his own doing.

Suddenly a soft voice broke the silence. "He's ready," a young nurse said, coming up to the couple. They looked at each other, excitement and apprehension crossing their features. "We need to get him out as soon as possible," she said smiling.

The couple nodded at the young woman and stepped out of the room. Franny gripped her husband's hand as she sat next to him in a warm pink and blue room, choosing a small yellow sofa by the door, which they glanced at every few seconds. Cornelius could feel his heart thudding hard against his chest, his emotions a bundle of nerves. Franny was excited more than anything, just wanting to finally hold her little boy to her chest and never let him go.

The room went silent as the door opened slowly. Cornelius' breath hitched as a nurse walked into the room with a small green blanket bundled in her arms. Franny teared up when she heard her baby cooing in another woman's arms, a new feeling rising up in her throat.

"Here's your mommy and daddy," the young woman said, handing Franny the little bundle. Brown eyes widened in wonder as she took in deep baby blues. She couldn't even find the right words to say as she finally let the overwhelming joy course through her veins. Little did she know the man sitting next to her was going through the same thought process.

Franny teared up as she finally whispered, "Welcome to the world, my little tadpole."

...

"Alright, Carl. How do you feel?" Cornelius asked, as he flipped the robot back on.

The machine blinked, visual receptors focusing on the blond in front of him. "I feel..." he trailed off.

Cornelius held up a picture so Carl could see. Blue optics zoomed in on the infant in the picture. "Do you feel anything?" he asked, brows creased.

"I have the sudden urge to change a dirty diaper."

Cornelius chuckled. "Good. It worked."

...

The young inventor placed his hand on Franny's lower back as he led her up the path leading to their front door. He glanced over at her; she had her eyes glued on the baby in her arms. "Are you ready?" he whispered.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said, not looking up.

"Ring my-"

"No." Cornelius reached out to open the front door, startled when it opened for him.

"Oh, my gosh! He's so cute!" Tallulah greeted them, obviously having been waiting by the door all day for them to return.

As soon as they walked into the living room they were surrounded by family members trying to get a better look.

"He's precious."

"Look at that!"

"Look at his hair!"

Franny smiled, amused by the comments about how much her baby looked like her. She smiled down at Wilbur, who she noticed looked quite uncomfortable with all the ruckus.

"Don't worry, you'll learn to love'em," she murmured affectionately.

"Franny?" the now second youngest Robinson spoke up. The brunette looked down into her cousin's inquisitive eyes.

"Yes, Tallulah?"

"I made Wilbur something."

Franny raised her eyebrows. "You did?"

Tallulah nodded and shyly handed the brunette a box. Cornelius gladly took Wilbur into his arms as she opened it, her eyes widening with realization.

"Oh, Tallulah, it's perfect!" she said, taking in the green onesie with little frog eyes on the hood and a big smiling frog face on the belly. She hugged the young girl who was beaming proudly. "You made this?"

Tallulah nodded. "The hood comes off, so he can sleep in it."

"It's perfect. Thank you," she said, hugging her again. The family was interrupted by a loud, high-pitched cry. Franny immediately turned and took Wilbur back into her arms. "Oh, sweetie, it's okay." She rocked the baby slightly, looking up at Cornelius with worried eyes.

Carl stepped into the room, walking right up to the infant. "He's just hungry," he said, giving Wilbur a quick scan. Franny turned and narrowed her eyes at her husband, who thought he might burst into flames from the look she was giving him.

...

Cornelius rolled over in his shared king size bed to look at the baby monitor on his nightstand. He breathed a sigh of relief; Wilbur lay on his side playing with his little hands. The blond smiled fondly at the infant; just a week ago he'd been in an incubation pod, now here he was, out in the world and perfectly healthy. Cornelius gave a quick glance back at his wife and chuckled; she was sound asleep, snoring very softly.

He stood up as quietly as he could and made his way to the nursery across the hall. As soon as he entered the small room, he was greeted with a small cry.

"What is it, Wilbur?" he asked gently as he made his way over to the crib. He shook his head; like he was really going to answer. Big baby blue eyes looked up at him, and he felt his heart melt to a helpless puddle-the way it did when Franny did literally anything. He smiled down at the infant, reaching his hand down and rubbing his little belly. He couldn't help but feel a fondness as he looked at the green onesie Tallulah had made for him after he came home from the hospital.

While he was musing over the little details of his offspring he noticed it; his brows furrowed a bit as he looked at the little boy's head. Cornelius felt his grin widen as he studied his son's head of hair. "I guess you do take after me, don't you," he laughed as he took in the tiny tufts of black hair sticking up all over his head. He could've sworn that Wilbur gave him an indignant look at that comment. "Don't worry, little guy. It'll look better in the future, I promise."

...

Franny sat in the rocking chair under a large window with her baby in her arms. She smiled down at him as he drank from his bottle. She was quite distraught when she realized she couldn't breastfeed him; after a while she grew to accept this because it meant she could spend more time memorizing his every little feature. She hummed happily and looked around the room; the pink and green was replaced by light shades of blue, purple, and yellow. Of course the little frogs on the walls had stayed, which always made Franny smile.

He eyes wandered for a bit until they fell upon the other wall. Her face fell slightly as she took in the enlarged ultrasound photo on the left, elegantly placed in a beautiful frame. A rainbow was placed in the middle of the wall, connecting the photo with that of a framed picture of Wilbur. Under the baby's photograph was another frame with the embroidered words "Even Miracles Take a Little Time" in gold thread. Franny smiled softly and looked down at the little miracle in her arms. "You certainly were worth the wait," she said, rubbing his nose lightly.

...

July 2028

"Now remember, Tallulah and Lazlo are in charge, so you listen to them like the good boy I know you are, okay?" Franny said softly.

Wilbur blinked up at her with wide brown eyes and nodded. "Okay, mommy."

Franny smiled at her little boy. "That's my boy." She pulled him in for a quick hug, pecking him on the cheek before pulling away. "I love you, Wilbur. We'll be back later tonight."

"Bye, Wilbur," Cornelius said, kissing the top of his head before opening the door for Franny. She glanced at Tallulah before walking out.

"Have him in bed by eight, no scary movies, no climbing on the furniture-"

"Franny, he'll be fine," Cornelius interrupted. He chuckled. This was the first time in four years they had gotten to leave the house without their son, and of course Franny was already having second thoughts.

She frowned at her husband. "And no sugar before bed! See you tonight!"

With that, Cornelius closed the door behind his wife and led her to the car.

Tallulah smiled down at her little cousin. "Oh, Wilbur, we are going have so much fun!" she said, clapping her hands. "We're going to play dress up!"

"What? No way!" Lazlo exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Franny put us both in charge, and since I'm the oldest, that clearly means I'm the boss, so you have to do what I say."

"Lazlo, why do you always have to be so bossy?" Tallulah asked, crossing her arms in an identical fashion as her brother's.

Wilbur looked between his cousins fighting; he didn't know if he should try to stop their bickering or run away, so he did what any three-and-a-half-year-old would do: turn the attention back to him. He let out a loud whimper and covered his ears.

The siblings immediately stopped fighting and looked at each other. "Oh, no. What are we supposed to do when he cries?" Tallulah asked.

Lazlo made a face. "He better not need a diaper change."

The young girl rolled her eyes and knelt down. "Wilbur, what's the matter?"

Wilbur sniffled and peeked up at her. When he confirmed all attention was on him, he grinned widely. "I want to play tag!" He slapped Tallulah's leg and took off. "You're it!"

Tallulah sighed.

...

"I am so sorry, Wilbur," Tallulah said as she toweled the little boy off. He simply huffed. "I can't believe he did that."

"He gotted paint in my hair," Wilbur said grumpily as he stepped into the pajama pants Tallulah held out.

"Don't worry, little guy. I got it out," she said as she picked him up and carried him to his bedroom. She laid him down, lifting the blankets over his tiny body. Wilbur yawned as Tallulah took a seat on the bed next to him.

"Lulu?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah, Wilbur?"

"Why you and La-lo always yelling at each other?"

Tallulah frowned. "Because we're brother and sister. That's what we do." She paused, a small grin gracing her young features. "But we love each other, so it's not so bad." She ruffled his hair, making him huff. "I wish I had a little brother or sister I could boss around."

"Why?"

"Because it'd be fun. Don't you think?"

Wilbur thought for a moment before his face lit up. "Yeah! I could make them play tag and hide and seek with me all the time! I want a little brother!"

Tallulah chuckled. "Well, you'll have to ask your parents about that. Your birthdays are coming up, maybe you'll get a brother for one of them." She stood and went to turn out the light in the large room. "Night, Wilbur."

"Night, Lulu," he said sleepily, already drifting off.

...

"Don't ask."

"Wasn't going to," Cornelius said as he eyeballed the neon green and orange paint in his cousin's hair. As soon as Tallulah saw him and Franny walk through the front door she had tried to duck out of sight but wasn't quick enough. Cornelius chuckled as she rolled her eyes and mumbled under her breath as she sulked away.

"I'll go check on Wilbur," Franny said, pecking her husband on his cheek. He smiled softly at her. "I'll be along soon." He nodded, watching as she slowly entered Wilbur's room.

She quietly closed the door, hoping not to wake the sleeping child across the room. The space was dimly lit, making it hard to make out the small figure. She stared into the shadows for a long moment, letting her eyes adjust to the change in brightness. When she could finally make out her surroundings she tiptoed slowly to the child's bed, her heels clicking quietly with each step.

When she reached his bed, she smiled softly to herself; the little boy in the bed had grown so much. Here he was, about to turn four years old, and was one of the most loving, energetic people she had ever laid eyes on. Franny's heart swelled in her chest thinking about Wilbur; he had had those big beautiful baby blue eyes when he was born, which was replaced by a deep russet color around his first birthday. She felt bad for thinking it, but she sometimes wished he had kept those beautiful blue eyes-the ones that had looked so much like his father's.

And then there was his hair. She giggled at the image of a two-year-old after a bath, hair sticking in every direction you could think of. Franny had worried her little boy wouldn't look anything like Cornelius-mainly because of his recessive traits (she knew her genetics too well to get her hopes up)-and was extremely surprised and over-the-moon when she had discovered he was basically a little mini Franny with a sprinkling of Cornelius.

She chuckled quietly, a hand going to her mouth. Wilbur stirred, making Franny's heart skip a beat, then let out a sigh of relief when he grunted in his sleep. Carefully she sat at the edge of his bed, looking fondly down at her baby boy.

Just looking at him now, you would never have guessed he was a preemie; he was just the right size and had a personality too big for his little body. Granted, he was a little small for his age, but his pediatrician had said he was growing perfectly and would have several growth spurts throughout his life. She had sighed in relief when the doctor had predicted he would grow up to be as tall as-if not taller than-Cornelius, as he had been pretty small for his age, too. She had shrugged. Maybe it was hereditary.

After what seemed like a lifetime of gazing down at her beautiful creation, she knew it was time to go back to her husband who was waiting patiently for her return. She leaned down and placed a loving kiss on Wilbur's forehead, and she couldn't help but grin when he gave a small smile of his own in his sleep.

Reluctantly she left the little boy in dreamland and headed across the hall to her own room. When she closed the door and turned around she found her husband sitting up in bed smiling at her. Franny made her way over to him, letting him gently pull her down onto the bed. She squeaked as her head hit her pillow.

...

Wilbur opened his eyes to find the sun invading his bedroom. He blinked a few times, trying to remember where he was. He remembered dreaming about being a big kid, running around and playing tag and Let's Find Carl (his favorite game) for hours on end, the sun never setting. His big brown eyes opened wide. Oh, yeah! He was going to ask his mommy and daddy for a little brother for one of his birthdays! And since his daddy was usually awake by now, he would ask him first.

...

Cornelius's eyes fluttered open to find a beautiful brunette woman laying next to him, skin bare, eyes closed and snoring ever so slightly. He smiled warmly at her; he adored his wife and loved watching her sleep. On the rare occasions he could take a day off he had taken to waking up early and just gazing at her slumbering form. She lay on her stomach, an arm tucked casually under her pillow, her other outstretched as if reaching for something. He tilted his head and intertwined their fingers. What a sight she was to look at first thing in the morning.

...

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Wilbur yelled, running around the house like a madman. He couldn't help the giant smile on his face as he raced to find his father; his father he knew who could never say no to his every request. "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" He began clumsily climbing the stairs to the lab, disgruntled when his plot was suddenly foiled by a pair of golden arms.

"Where do you think you're going?" Carl asked, pulling the kid to his metal chest.

Wilbur squirmed in the robot's arms for a moment, giving up when he realized he wasn't escaping this once. He started bouncing, looking up at his friend with the most innocent gaze. "Where's daddy?" he asked excitedly.

"Ooooh, no. It's way too early, young man. Your dad's probably still asleep, and I'm not gonna be the one yelled at for letting you wake him up."

"But Caaaaarl," the little boy tried to reason. "I want to ask him something."

"Ask him something, or ask his _for_ something?" Carl said, lifting an artificial eyebrow.

"Yeah!" he replied, beginning to squirm again. Carl rolled his eyes, accidentally loosening his grip for a split second too long.

Wilbur jumped out of Carl's arms and bolted. The robot rolled its optics, already preparing for a chase.

...

Cornelius rested his head on his hand, his eyes not wanting to leave Franny's sleeping figure just yet. Something about the way her hair cascaded down her back as it gently moved up and down with each breath, the way her lips twitched with her dreams, the way her eyes seemed to dance even behind closed eyelids, made Cornelius' heart flutter every time his eyes fell upon her uniquely classic beauty.

He hummed lightly, bending down to place a kiss on her temple. She smiled in her sleep.

"God, I love you," Cornelius whispered.

The moment seemed to stand still, going on for an eternity, when the young inventor's musings were suddenly-and very loudly-interrupted.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Wilbur yelled, shoving his parents' bedroom door wide open.

"Wilbur!" Cornelius yelled, sitting up and yanking the blanket up over his hips.

The little boy ran to his parent's bed, jumping into his father's arms, all the while yelling "Daddy!" Cornelius grunted at the sudden weight.

Franny stirred, a frightened look immediately shadowing her eyes. "Wilbur?!" She sat up, about to reach for her son when she suddenly remembered she was unclothed. She quickly pulled the blanket up over her chest and reached over to put a hand on Wilbur's back. "What is it, sweetie? Are you hurt?" she asked worriedly.

Wilbur grinned so wide it made his cheeks hurt. "Mommy, guess what!"

"What is it, Wilbur?" she asked, putting a hand to her chest in relief that her baby wasn't hurt.

"I know what I want for my birfday!"

"Oh?" Cornelius asked, looking down at his son. "And what would that be?"

"I want a lil brover!" he said, excitedly clapping his hands together.

Cornelius looked at Franny, his stomach twisting in an uncomfortable knot.

"O-oh?" Franny said hesitantly. As soon as the words escaped the three-year-old's mouth she felt her heart sink. "Is that so?"

"Yeah, mommy!"

There was a pregnant pause, no one knowing how to break the news to Wilbur. Finally, Cornelius broke the silence.

"Uh, Wilbur, buddy…even if you did get a little brother, there's no way he'd be here for your birthday next month."

"What about my over birfday?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Sweetie, you know your second birthday isn't about present," Franny said softly, rubbing up and down Wilbur's back. "I'm sorry, honey."

Wilbur's face fell as his parents told him the last thing he wanted to hear right now.

The door swung open again as Carl ran into the room. Cornelius and Franny sighed in relief, the woman fighting tears.

"I am so sorry, you guys. I tried to stop him but he jumped out of my arms-"

"It's okay, Carl," Cornelius interjected. He looked down at Wilbur and smiled. "What do you say, son. Ice cream for breakfast?"

Wilbur's face lit up. "Yeah!"

"Great. Go get dressed and we'll go get some. And who knows? You might even get something special while we're out."

...

"Sweetheart?" Franny said as she softly shut the bedroom door.

Cornelius looked up from the tablet in his hands and half smiled. He patted the bed beside him. "Hey." He gently kissing her lips as she sat next to him. His smile faded a bit. She didn't say anything, just sat there biting her lip and playing with a button on the blond's shirt. He exhaled. "I know," he said softly, setting the tablet down to take the hand playing with his dress shirt in his.

Franny closed her eyes, laying her head on his shoulder. "How am I supposed to tell him?" He squeezed her hand. "I'd give him the world if I could. Why did he have to ask for the one thing I can't give him?" She inhaled shakily, trying to keep the tears at bay.

Cornelius smiled sadly, rubbing her arm up and down. "Tell me about it."

A moment of silence filled the room as the couple tried to think of a solution to all their problems. Finally, Cornelius pulled back to look Franny in the eye. "I know what you mean. My whole life I've wanted a family. Now I have it and I just want to give you all the life I know you deserve." He paused again, trying to think of the best way to say the next sentence. "You know, if you want…we could always adopt."

Franny blinked, her brows creasing slightly. She didn't mind the idea of adopting, considering her husband was a prime example of why people should adopt. The thought had just never occurred to her before. But now that she was thinking about it, she wasn't sure how to respond.

Cornelius bit the inside of his cheek, thinking back to his childhood; all the heartache and rejection-feeling like no one ever wanted him…he hated it. He didn't want to have to interview children, didn't want to become the source of the heartbreak. But at the same time, he wanted to be some lucky child's savior, letting him have a better life. He honestly didn't know if he wanted to pursue that option, but he figured why not throw it out into the open.

"I know you want to have another baby, but…Franny face it. We may never have another one," Cornelius said quietly, rubbing Franny's cheek with his thumb.

She looked down, her small hand clenching into a fist. "I know," she said a bit harshly. "I hadn't even thought about adopting." Franny met his eyes once more. "I just wanted to give Wilbur a blood sibling, as selfish as that sounds, but I can't."

"Well, there are other options," the blond said, trying to help Franny understand their situation wasn't completely hopeless.

"I know, but nothing's going to be set in stone. You have to think about everything else. When? How? Will the family be okay with it? I mean, you work constantly-don't get me wrong, I know you love your work, but I see you struggle to make time for me and Wilbur, and I know it's because you're making this world a better place, but…is it the best for us to have another?"

Cornelius blinked, taken aback by his wife's words. Had she been having second thoughts about having another baby, or was this the stress talking? "I know I've been working a lot lately, but that's only because I want to provide my family with the best I can give. I don't mean to be gone so much-believe me, if I could I would stay here most of the time. I'm working on that, I promise. And as for when, well, I know I have a hectic schedule, but-" he cut himself off, not knowing how to finish. His furrowed his brow. "Would it be better if he waited? Maybe until he's older?"

Franny tilted her head, a sad smile adorning her face. "Maybe it's for the best."

...

August 2028

Wilbur lay patiently waiting, his eyes closed and his mouth in the slightest grin. He loved this tradition; ever since he could remember, whenever it was someone's birthday the entire family would wake them up to cake and singing. He loved waking up to his mommy's face smiling at him as she handed him a slice of his favorite sweet treat-double decker chocolate cake, just like his daddy. Speaking of his father, he knew Cornelius always gave the greatest gifts-always a high tech something-or-other that Wilbur never tired of playing with. Last year his father had even make him his own tiny flying car. His mother had rolled her eyes as he zipped around the house, carefully dodging each new family member he came across.

He had woken up about twenty minutes ago, waiting with the patience of a saint, not wanting to open his eyes and ruin his own surprise. Just when he thought they were never going to come in, his smile faltering a bit, he heard a click and soft footsteps.

Cornelius tiptoed lightly across the room, trailed by family members trying their hardest not to giggle loud enough to wake the sleeping child ahead of them. Tallulah let out an accidental snicker, the older blond turning quickly to shush her, himself trying not to laugh. He turned back, realizing they were already at the hovering crib. He opened his mouth to yell "Happy Birthday!" but was suddenly cut off by very loud giggles.

"Happy birfday to meeeeee!" Wilbur shouted, throwing his blanket off his bed and jumping into his father's arms. "Guess what daddy!"

Cornelius chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "What, son?"

"It's my birfday!" he exclaimed, bouncing in Cornelius' arms.

"You don't say?" he said, turning his body so Wilbur could see the giant cake being toted in by the rest of the family, who all had disappointed yet amused looks on their faces.

Wilbur clapped and smiled so much his cheeks hurt as his family sang to him.

As the day went on, Wilbur received so many gifts he lost track of them all within five minutes. Grandpa Bud had gotten him his very own holographic checkerboard (that he was sure he'd appreciate in a few years' time), Grandma Lucille had gotten him a very much souped-up tricycle, Tallulah had made him his own Captain Time Travel onesie he could wear to bed or outside. The best gift of all, though, Wilbur knew was going to be the one Cornelius gave him.

He smiled as he received each new gift, thanking the respective family member like the polite little boy he was. Finally, when the line of gifts seemed to reach its end, Wilbur looked up expectantly at Cornelius, who cocked his head at his son, his brow creased.

"Can I help you?" Cornelius asked teasingly.

Wilbur opened his mouth slightly. "No present from daddy?"

Cornelius raised an eyebrow as Franny said, "Now, Wilbur…"

"Were you expecting something from me?" the blond asked.

The little boy looked up at his father with wide eyes, which looked rather glossy at the moment. His lip quivered slightly as he said, "Oh. Never mind." He looked down and sniffled, and Franny gave her husband "the look." He held up his hands in surrender and knelt down in front of Wilbur.

"Follow me," he whispered. Wilbur immediately perked up.

"Okay, daddy!"

Cornelius led Wilbur across the house, the whole family trailing behind again. "Where are we going, daddy?" he asked, hands outstretched trying to feel his way around. Cornelius kept his hand over Wilbur's eyes, not bothering answering the question. Wilbur was getting very annoyed with his father, and was even about to demand an answer, when the hand finally left his face and revealed his present.

Wilbur's mouth dropped, his eyes wandering around the huge room; it was filled with the coolest stuff a four-year-old could imagine, like a ping pong table in one corner, a huge TV on the far side of the room with every gaming system you could possibly imagine, including a brand new Chargeball station.

The little boy rushed into the room, taking in his surroundings and trying to get his hands on everything his eyes touched. "This is the best present ever!" he concluded, running into Cornelius' outstretched arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he chanted.

The blond looked down fondly at his son. "You're welcome, Wilbur. Do you know what this means?"

Wilbur shook his head, eyes innocently looking at his father in wonder.

"This means you can finally sleep in your very own big kid bed in your very own wing. This is your new bedroom."

Wilbur's eyes widened to impossibly large saucers. "Really?"

"Yep," Cornelius said, walking over to the platform that lifted to Wilbur's bed. The little boy's jaw was slack as they slowly ascended to the loft, Cornelius walking them over to the large bed and laying him down. "Look up," he said softly.

Wilbur did as his daddy said and was amazed at the sight before him. Floating-literally floating-above him was a huge room-sized scale model of the solar system, the planets rotating and orbiting around each other in a perfected pattern. He was far too preoccupied by the beautiful ceiling to remember to say thank you again.

Franny crossed her arms, a tear welling in her eye. She quickly wiped it away before anyone saw. Her baby was growing up, and she didn't know if she liked it.

Billie turned her head to look at Franny. "Don't cry, Francesca. We've still got plenty of time with him."

"I know, Billie." She forced a smile. "Hopefully this will keep him occupied for a while."

...

February 2032

Cornelius tossed and turned in his sleep. Memories that had started fading over the course of time were suddenly, blindingly burned onto the insides of his eyelids. Blue eyes twitched in every direction, forehead starting to glisten. A dark cloud shaded his dream, a sudden scream-he couldn't tell if it was the dream or himself-broke the silence. He ground his teeth, trying desperately to wake himself up, but the dream forced him to watch until the very end where a vortex of emptiness awaited-

"Agh!" he shouted, jolting himself out of the night terror. He panted, looking around the dark bedroom, finally remembering where he was. He turned to look down at the spot he knew his wife would be in. He frowned when he saw her deep brown eyes level with his, staring at him with alarm.

"Sweetheart?" she forced out, a hand touching his bare arm.

He sighed in relief that it indeed had just been a dream, then reached out his own arms and pulled Franny into his embrace, all but crushing her with his grip. "I'm sorry I woke you," he whispered shakily into her ear. They stayed like that for a few moments, Franny's face in a deep frown. He pulled away and looked her in the eye. "I'm fine. Everything is fine." He rubbed his face with his hand. "I need to do something," he said certainly as he scrambled out of bed. He leaned down and pecked Franny's lips before grabbing a shirt and shoes and bolting out the door before she could get a word in edgewise.

He ran down the hall and across the house, ignoring the worried expression of a certain robot, until he finally reached Wilbur's room. Opening the door, only barely trying to be quiet, he peeked his head in the room. There, on a platform across the large space, lay Wilbur. He was sprawled out, one leg dangling off the edge of the bed, the other entangled in the sheets that Franny had fixed just the day before. He breathed a sigh of relief as he listened to his son breathe. The dream had been painfully realistic; he wasn't even sure anymore if it had really happened or not, but he was going to make sure either way that things worked out the way they were supposed to.

Cornelius quickly clicked the door shut and rushed up to his lab, telling Carl on his way up that "I'm going to be working on something very important, so don't let anyone up here, please. I don't know when I'll be finished, but I have a feeling this will be my most important invention yet" before slamming the doors shut.

...

June 2033

"Daaaaad," Wilbur bellowed, knocking obnoxiously on the large double doors that led to the laboratory. No response. Again. He sighed. "DAAAAAD!" he said louder. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the door cracked open to reveal a very disheveled-looking Cornelius Robinson, hair even more untidy that usual, with tufts sticking out in every direction. Black grease was streaked across his face that was red with frustration. He looked patiently down at Wilbur, wiping his hands on a dirty rag.

"Yes, Wilbur?"

"Wanna play?" the little boy asked, eyes glinting with mischief.

Cornelius frowned. "I'm sorry, buddy. I'm kind of in the middle of trying to finish this invention…have you asked Carl?" He sounded genuinely distressed that he couldn't hang out with his only son, who was starting to look the slightest bit frustrated. Before Wilbur could say a word of protest, Cornelius jumped back in, crouching down to meet his son's gaze. "Listen, buddy, I know you want to play with your old man, but I have to finish this. I think I'm close to a breakthrough, so I have to do as I do and keep moving forward." He gave his son a weak smile, who mirrored the expression. "You know I'd play if I could." He paused, trying to think of a solution. "Tell you what, once I finish this, I promise I'll make it up to you. We'll have a whole day just for the two of us to do anything you want. I might even let you take it for a test run. How does that sound?"

Wilbur grinned toothily at his dad. "Really? Promise?"

"Promise," he parroted, smiling.

"Okay, dad! You got yourself a deal. Put'er there," he said, extending his hand. Cornelius chuckled at his son's antics, grasping Wilbur's hand and shaking it.

"Deal." He stood, still looking down at his son. "Now go find Carl, okay?"

"Okay," Wilbur said, bounding down the stairs. "Caaaarl!"

Cornelius watched his son go, his chest tight. "I'll make it up to you," he said to Wilbur's retreating form, his hands twisting the rag within them. "I promise."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hello there! I'm so glad you're still here, truly. I had a great time writing this chapter, so I hope you enjoy reading it.

I just want to point out that up until this point I haven't mentioned Wilbur's middle name, but I gave him one a while back. It's pretty clever, especially if you look up the meaning behind it. ;)

I'm thinking there will be one more chapter after this and an epilogue and then this story will be over. D:

Not to worry, though. I still have plenty of ideas for stories, so stay tuned!

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Meet the Robinsons

Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Emotional Commotion

June 2036

It felt like weeks had gone by without Wilbur seeing his dad. He was the fun one, always letting the little boy run around and just be himself, while his mother always seemed to put an immediate end to his excitement. By the time he was eleven he had been in trouble so often he thought "Grounded" was his middle name.

The black-haired boy wandered around the house, passing the doors to the upstairs laboratory, eyeing it suspiciously. It was quiet up there-too quiet. Just as he turned to climb the stairs a voice stopped him.

"Just what do you think you're doing?"

Wilbur froze, opting not to turn around and face the wrath of Carl (who could be really frightening for an easily-influenced robot. What a pushover). "Relax, Carl," he said in his still pre-pubescent voice. "I just want to look."

"Uh-uh." The robot extended an arm, turning the boy around by his shoulder. "You know your dad banned you from the lab."

Wilbur rolled his eyes. "That was ages ago. I'm sure he's forgotten by now," he said, escaping the robot's grasp and sprinting up the stairs. He paused at the double doors, hand poised to open it.

"What's the matter? Got stage fright?" Carl taunted.

The kid rolled his eyes again. "Yeah right." Slowly he pushed the door open, looking around the room for any sign of his dad. The room was empty. He glanced back at Carl. "The coast is clear," he said, walking into the room. He looked around, now having a better view of the room. "Dad?" he called out, part of him hoping he would get an answer.

Silence.

Wilbur frowned, turning to Carl, who wore the same expression. "Where is he?" Carl shrugged. "I bet he's working on the thing. Do you know what it is?" he said, eyeing the robot.

"Your dad's kept this thing more secret than the aliens in Area 51, what makes you think I know?" he said, crossing his noodle-like arms.

Wilbur huffed. "Gee, thanks for the input." He turned back around, his eye catching a shiny machine in the corner. "Whoa, what's that?" he said, running to the object, nearly tripping on wires as he did so.

"Uh, Wilbur, don't you think we should get out of here? Your dad doesn't even like when I'm up here. He's not gonna be happy when he finds out you were messing with his lab equipment."

"That's why we won't tell him," Wilbur said, not bothering to look back at him. "I wonder what this does."

Before the kid had the chance to even touch the machine a loud buzz broke the silence, followed by a large holographic image appearing in front of him.

"Wilbur, what are you doing?" Cornelius said, the holograph of him flickering, the sign of a brand-new invention. Wilbur froze, looking like a deer caught in headlights. Further observation on the kid's part would reveal his dad was in the house somewhere, but clearly nowhere Wilbur had even been. "You know you're not supposed to be up here," the deep voice boomed over the intercom.

Wilbur smiled sheepishly, lowering his hand. "S-sorry, dad. I was-uh-sleepwalking! Yeah, sleepwalking." He pointed a thumb at Carl. "He was just waking me up when you buzzed in."

"What?" Carl said indignantly. His optics landed on Cornelius. "Can you believe this?"

Cornelius fought hard not to laugh at the poor robot. Every time Wilbur was caught red-handed, Carl always seemed to be right behind him. "Out. Now," he said before disappearing.

"What a killjoy," Wilbur said.

...

July 2036

"Wilbur," Franny called, knocking on his bedroom door. Silence. Her brows furrowed. "Wilbur?" she called again. Still nothing. What was it with the men in the house not answering when called? She pushed open the door, only to find her little boy hoverboarding dangerously close to the edge of the loft where his bed was. Her eyes widened. "Wilbur Maximus Robinson, what are you doing?!" she shrieked as he jumped off the edge. He was midair when he realized she had entered the room, immediately losing his concentration and falling on his rear end.

"Wilbur!" she cried, running over to examine the damage. "Are you okay? What were you thinking?"

"I'm fine, mom. Didn't even hurt," he said, already working on standing up. Franny frowned at him in that deeply disapproving way that she had mastered. "Did you need something?"

She exhaled, shaking her head. "No, I didn't. But your father asked for you."

Wilbur perked up. "He did? What for?"

"Says he wants you to help him with something. Take the travel tube in the lab, it'll lead you to where he is."

He cocked his head. "And that would be…?"

Franny smiled and winked. "You'll see."

...

Wilbur followed his mother's instructions and took the travel tube in the lab to an unknown part of the house. It had seemed like a long trip between the observatory room to where his father was. As soon as he landed his eyes widened. "Whoa…" he said, his mouth hanging open slightly.

Cornelius stood, his head appearing from behind a shiny red vehicle, a wide grin on his face. He wiped his hands with a rag and tossed it before placing his hands on his hips. "Pretty cool down here, isn't it?" he said, his own eyes wandering around the room.

Wilbur looked around in amazement. "This is amazing. Where are we?"

"That is an excellent question, son," the inventor replied, leaning back against the machine. "This would be my time lab. Remember a few years ago when I was sent to the hospital because one of my inventions detonated?"

The preteen's face fell a bit as his eyes finally met his father's. He nodded. "Yeah," he said quietly. "You never told us what it was you were working on." Wilbur pointed to the object his dad was leaning on. "Is that it?"

"Sure is." He patted the side of it. "I had to move my workspace elsewhere, considering how badly the explosion affected the rest of the family." He frowned. "So not long after I regained my memory I decided to build this," he said, forcing a smile. "I also promised you could go for the first test run with me."

"You remember that?"

"Hey, I may have had a mild case of amnesia, but I still remember mostly everything."

Wilbur beamed. "Awesome!" he said, running up to the machine, his hands raised and ready to start poking and prodding, when Cornelius held out his arm, stopping the boy in his tracks.

"Uh-uh-uh. Not so fast, young man. I may have promised you the first test run, but that doesn't mean you get to drive this thing."

"Drive? Is it a car?" He let his arms fall, his face twisted in inquisitive confusion.

"No," the older man said, pressing a button on his watch, the hatch of the vehicle opening. "It's a time machine. The first ever _working_ time machine," Cornelius said, a wide, proud smile gracing his features.

Wilbur hopped into the driver's seat, his eyes as big as saucers. "You mean-"

"Yep."

"But how-"

"Trial and error." He rubbed his neck. "Lots of errors."

"So, this will let us go to any time period, past, present, or future?" he asked, enthusiastically grabbing the steering wheel.

Cornelius chuckled. He really didn't give the kid enough credit sometimes. Gently he grabbed Wilbur's wrists and pulled his hands off the wheel. "In theory, yes. I still haven't confirmed how far into the past or future it will take us, but that's what you're here for." He motioned for Wilbur to scoot over as he sat in the driver's seat, quickly starting the machine up. "Pick a year, any year."

Wilbur looked at Cornelius for a moment before a mischievous smirk adorned his face.

...

The time machine whirred back into the time lab, quietly shutting down. Cornelius sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wilbur," he said, annoyance lacing his tone. "I told you this was dangerous and that even picking up a rock off the ground could alter history as we know it. What were you thinking?"

The raven-haired boy bit his lip, amused but also afraid of getting grounded again. "I was thinking about having fun." He turned to look out the window. "Something you don't know how to do," he said under his breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing. I said nothing," Wilbur said, attempting to open the roof of the vehicle.

Cornelius frowned, really not wanting to argue with an eleven-year-old. He looked down at the object in Wilbur's hands, wiping a hand down his face. "We can't keep it."

Wilbur turned, wide-eyed, to his father, his hands clasping the object in question closer to his chest. "But dad-"

"No buts, Wilbur." He studied his son for a moment, his crestfallen face pulling at his heartstrings. He really didn't enjoy punishing him, but it was necessary. Even if that meant Wilbur hated him for a few days. But the look on his face when he said he couldn't keep the baby octopus hurt more than anything, mainly because he knew what it was like to be teased with the idea of a family only to have it ripped away. Cornelius could slowly feel his resolve crumbling. He leaned his head back against the seat. "That thing is from a thousand or so years from now. Who knows what it'll do to the continuum. Also, what if it's mutated or from a different planet?"

"Please, dad?" Wilbur said with puppy dog eyes, something he knew Cornelius couldn't resist. The inventor's words had obviously not reached his unlistening ears.

The inventor sighed, meeting his son's gaze once more. "Fine," he said after a moment of hesitation. "But only for a few days."

Wilbur smiled from ear to ear, holding up the tiny purple octopus. "I'll name him Lefty!"

...

January 2037

"Relax, Carl," Wilbur said as he tiptoed into the lab. He stood by the travel tube he knew led beneath the mansion, rubbing his hands together deviously.

Carl looked distraught; if he had fingernails he'd surely be biting them. "How can I relax when you're trying to sneak into your dad's time lab-a place which he forbid BOTH of us from going, thank you very much."

The kid rolled his eyes, not bothering to turn around. "Carl, listen to yourself. You sound like my mom."

Carl gave an indignant huff. "Excuse me? I sound nothing like your mom. Besides," he continued under his breath, "she scares me."

"Look, I'm only going to be down there for a minute. Dad's not going to be home for another hour. I think I'll be okay." He stepped under the tube, his signature impish smile plastered on his face. "See you down there!" he said before he was sucked up.

Reluctantly the robot followed suit, not happy about this one bit.

Wilbur landed expertly on his feet-something that had not come naturally to him-and put his hands on his hips in triumph. In front of him was the red time machine. "Just as I'd hoped. Come on, Carl," he said as soon as the robot landed.

"Are you crazy? I am NOT coming with you to go back in time to this morning just to get your glove back."

"Oh, come on. It's not like I'm changing an entire timeline. Just today's," he said, trying his best at a charming grin.

Carl looked at him flatly, his arms crossed over his chest. He studied the kid for a minute, wondering when exactly he had become Wilbur's crony. "You should really do something about that hair," he said, referring to the way his raven hair fell over his face in some places and stuck up wildly in others, exacerbated by the travel tube. "You're starting to look like your dad."

Wilbur inspected his reflection in the window of the time machine, scrutinizing his features. "You take that back," he said, trying to smooth it down.

Carl sighed. "Forget I mentioned it," he said, striding over to meet Wilbur. "Let's get this over with."

...

Cornelius parked the car in the garage and quickly made his way into the house, carefully dodging the usual interrogation by the flower pot twins. He briefly tried to recall when he had even installed doorbells on his house before making it to the living room. Franny's smiling face greeted him before he could get upstairs.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. "How was your meeting?"

He smiled softly at her. "Terrible," he answered.

She frowned, tilting her head. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?" he asked. She nodded her head in response, Cornelius kissing her cheek before running up the stairs to the lab. He had a split second to appreciate the beauty of the snow lightly falling on the ceiling before he stepped under the tube.

When he landed his eyes widened and his hands balled into fists; the time machine was missing. Again. He'd had a feeling while in his meeting that something was off, and his instincts proved to be right as he stared at the empty space in front of him. He noted agitatedly that the other time machine still sat unfinished in the corner. The inventor was very close to finishing it, but he hadn't had a chance, mainly because his son kept "borrowing" his only reference.

Instead of screaming and swearing like any normal person would do, Cornelius decided he was going to wait patiently for Wilbur's return, so he could catch him red-handed. He knew it wouldn't take long, considering it was a time machine. They should be back within minutes. He pondered what on earth a twelve-year-old would be doing with a time machine, letting the thought marinate in his mind.

The blond crossed his arms and leaned on a workbench near the empty parking space, a smirk crossing his face as a bright ball of light flashed in front of him. Right on time.

He remained quiet as the boy opened the hatch, a big goofy grin on his face, and jumped out of the vehicle. Carl was frozen, his eyes fixed on his creator's. Wilbur walked toward the travel tube, tossing his chargeball glove in the air as he walked.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Cornelius said, his deep voice echoing in the large room.

Wilbur froze, the glove falling to the ground. He very slowly turned, appearing to shrink under his father's stare. "Oh, dad. You're home. What a surprise," he laughed awkwardly.

Cornelius narrowed his eyes, blond brows lowering. "Yeah. Imagine that." He stood up to his full height, which was intimidating to Wilbur, considering he was still pretty small for his age. Wilbur craned his neck to look at his dad, who now stood over him. "I had a distinct feeling I needed to come home, so here I am. And look what I found." He stared at the boy for an excruciatingly long moment, trying to drag this out as long as possible so Wilbur would know just how angry he was. Finally, after a good two minutes of staring, he continued with, "Wilbur, what have I told you about touching the time machine? It's not a toy."

"But, dad, I only wanted to get my glove back."

Cornelius blinked. "Why?"

Wilbur looked down. He shouldn't have said anything. "I lost it in a bet," he said under his breath.

The inventor pinched the bridge of his nose. "Son, you're going to be thirteen this year. I know you know better than to sneak around in my private lab to use the time machine for selfish purposes. And you," he said, freezing the robot in his tracks. "Why can't you ever just say no?"

Carl gave an indignant squawk. "What makes you think I didn't?"

Cornelius looked back at his son. "I hate doing this, Wilbur, but you're grounded."

"But-"

"No buts." He sighed. "And I'm taking out the travel tube so you can't get down here again." Wilbur pouted as the blond held his hand out. "Glove. Now."

Reluctantly Wilbur handed the chargeball glove to his father, a frown fixed on his face.

...

"Hi, honey," Franny greeted as Cornelius trudged into the music lounge. She smiled while collecting the tiny instruments after band rehearsal. He didn't say anything as she finished up what she was doing and turned back. "How was your meeting?" she inquired, studying his blank face.

He shook his head. "It was terrible," he repeated himself from earlier.

"What happened?"

Cornelius sighed. "Well, the business is doing great, so there's that." He saw Franny sigh in relief. He contemplated how he should bring this up, all things considered, while rubbing the back of his neck. "You remember Robert Berkman?"

Franny felt her heart clench. Of course she remembered him-how could she not recall the man who tried to sue her husband for all he was worth? "Yes. Vividly." She sat at a nearby table, Cornelius following suit. He took her hands in his. "I haven't heard his name in years. Why bring him up now?"

"Well, it's complicated. After I let him go after that ridiculous lawsuit, he came back and begged for his job back. I could never figure out why he wanted to come back in the first place. I mean, as much as I hated the kid, he was still brilliant. Look at all the things he's created."

"And he came back to Robinson Industries, why?" Franny prodded. She felt utterly confused.

Blue eyes shadowed with concern met hers. "I have a theory. See, after I turned him away when he tried to come back, he disappeared. No one ever heard from him again. That is until a week ago."

Realization started shining in Franny's eyes. "That's why you planned this meeting, isn't it? Because of him."

Cornelius nodded. "Precisely."

"He wants something," she concluded.

His face went solemn. The inventor knew exactly what he wanted, even though it had only been mentioned in passing to his most loyal and trusted employees. He had the awful realization that someone must've been working with Berkman from the start, and he truly didn't know who. "I know what he wants and he's not going to get it. He's not even going to lay eyes on it," he finished. "I'll make sure of that."

...

Cornelius hummed, very out of tune, as he moseyed into his bedroom, the daylight slowly fading past the window. He made his way over to the wall by the couch and pressed his thumb against a fingerprint reader, the wall itself opening and a huge stereo sliding out. The blond bit the inside of his cheek as a light scanned him, the radio turning on specific mood music.

He turned and noticed Franny hadn't looked up from the book she was reading (even in the future she liked the feeling of turning the pages and the wonderful smells of old books), walking up behind her. As soon as he put his hands on her shoulders she placed a dainty hand on his. "Wilbur's grounded," he said dully.

"What for this time?" she said, eyes still occupied by the small print.

Cornelius sighed. "He stole the only working time machine to go back in time to get his chargeball glove back that he lost in a bet this morning." He shook his head. "What if he hadn't come back?"

Franny smiled softly. "We'd be stuck with two Wilburs."

He froze for a moment, his lips twitching upward. "You're right," he confirmed as he took the seat next to Franny at the table.

Sensing his eyes on her, she bookmarked her spot and looked up, resting her head in her palm. "Aren't I always?"

He tilted his head, smiling his crooked smile at her. Her heart fluttered as he said, "Of course," before leaning in and kissing her sweetly on the lips.

When they pulled away, a contemplative look came over Franny's face, her brows creasing slightly. "Sometimes I worry about him."

Cornelius nodded, stealing a sip of Franny's coffee and grimacing at how sweet it was. "I know. Sometimes I think he gets in trouble to get our attention."

The brunette frowned. "Honey, do you remember a few years ago when we discussed having another-"

"Yes," he said, not needing her to finish her thought to know what she was getting at. "Clear as day, surprisingly."

"Well, what if that's what he needs? Someone to keep him company? Someone he can love and spend time with. Someone who can keep him out of trouble?"

"Someone that's not Carl?" he suggested, laughing a bit. He rubbed his chin, the stubble lightly scratching his palm. "What are you saying, Franny?" he said, the corner of his lip slanted upward.

Franny mirrored his expression. "I think he needs a sibling." She paused. "It's time to consider adoption."

Cornelius beamed, capturing her red lips with his.

...

Wilbur stood in front of the mirror, frowning at his reflection. He ripped a comb through his shaggy hair, the strands immediately springing back to their original place, making him look like he'd just had a balloon dragged through his hair. As soon as the comb left his scalp the small cowlick at the front of his head stood back up. He looked up, scowling at his mop of hair.

"If you brush it anymore, you're going to look like Albert Einstein," Carl said from across the room, voice dripping with sarcasm, studying an object he'd found on the ground.

"Ha. Ha. Ha," Wilbur retorted sarcastically. "What would you know? You don't even have hair."

"No, but I do know you look ridiculous. Why are you even messing with your hair?"

"Because I'm grounded and can't do anything else. And like you said, I'm starting to look like my dad," he said, looking terribly annoyed.

Carl rolled his eyes and tossed the object. He walked over to Wilbur, reaching into his chest cavity. "You say that like you thought you didn't look like him. I mean, you have the same ears, same eye shape, same smile. Clearly the same hair." Wilbur scoffed. "Here, try this."

Wilbur scrunched up his nose, taking the bottle from Carl. "I've never heard that I look like him." He looked down at the bottle. "Extra strength hair gel?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the robot.

Carl shrugged. "Hey, you said you wanted to look like James Dean, not me."

"Is that a bad thing? He was a very handsome man," Wilbur said, pulling a large glob of gel into his hair.

After a few minutes messing with his hair, Wilbur drew the comb through his hair one last time, turning to Carl with an inquisitive look on his face. "Well?"

The robot lifted an artificial eyebrow, clearly not amused by this situation. "You look like an elephant just blew its nose in your hair."

Wilbur's face twisted in disgust. He turned back to the mirror. "Back to the drawing board."

"Oh, yeah," Carl said, walking toward the door. "Nothing like your dad at all."

...

"When should we tell him?" Franny asked, an excited grin on her lips.

Cornelius smiled as he turned the steering wheel. "I say we surprise him." He parked the vehicle in front of one of their favorite restaurants, quickly getting out to open her door.

"Neil, you know how I am with keeping secrets," she replied, wrapping a scarf around her neck.

Cornelius linked their arms together as they walked toward the entrance, opening the door for her. "Not nearly as bad as you think," he said, winking at her.

They sat at their regular booth in the back, Cornelius sliding in next to Franny, his arm going around her shoulder. "You know," he said seriously, "if we're going to adopt, we would need to start right away. Even with all the advances in technology and processes over the last few years, adoption is still a lengthy process. And there isn't any real guarantee that we'll be able to find a child right away. They'd need to be comfortable with our crazy family," he chuckled.

A waitress came by and took their orders, smiling at her favorite regulars. He continued, "What a wonderful surprise for him to have a brother by his birthday."

"The one thing he's always wanted," Franny said, smiling sadly.

Cornelius nodded, taking a sip of his water. "But first, we need to have a serious chat with him about the dangers of messing with the time space continuum."

...

"Wilbur, I made you something-" Tallulah froze, eyeing her cousin suspiciously. She tried her hardest not to laugh at the huge globs of gel in his hair. "What on earth are you doing?"

The dark-haired boy turned, acting like he'd been caught red-handed. "Nothing. What's it look like?"

"It looks like you just stuck your head in a bucket of glue," she retorted, placing the article of clothing on a chair. "Here, let me help you."

...

"Whoa!" Wilbur said, ogling himself in the mirror. "I look hot!"

"I wouldn't go that far, partner," Tallulah said, smirking. "Here, put this on. I want to see how it looks on an you."

Wilbur grabbed the shirt, quickly pulling it over his head. The older girl looked at it, nodding in approval. "Perfect," she said, giving him a thumbs up. She began to walk away.

"Wait, don't you want this back?" he said, confused.

"No. I'm just practicing making shirts. You can keep that one," she said as she walked out the door, bumping into Franny and Cornelius as she did so. "Oh, hey guys." She glanced back at Wilbur. "That kid has entirely too much time on his hands."

Cornelius cocked his head. "Good to know." They made their way into the room, the blond observing Wilbur's head. "Son, what have you done to your hair?"

The kid blushed, still self-conscious about his new 'do. "That is an excellent question," he said, looking down.

Franny smiled, lightly pinching his cheek. "Wilbur, you look so handsome. You look just like-"

"You?" Cornelius suggested, grinning.

"You could be my twin," she commented.

"Okay, this is embarrassing. Can you please stop talking like that?" Wilbur said, rubbing his cheek where it had been pinched.

"Sorry, honey," his mother said, giggling.

"Alright Captain Time Travel," he said, referring to Wilbur's shirt. "Have a seat. We need to have a little chat," Cornelius continued, taking on a more serious tone.

Wilbur sighed before sitting on a beanbag chair, his parents looking down at him. He tried to flash a charming smile. "So. How was your date?" He knew this talk was coming, he just hoped they would've done it later.

"Don't try to change the subject, Wilbur," he said, shaking his head.

The dark-haired boy wrung his hands in his lap, something that reminded the blond entirely too much of his mother. "Sorry. Force of habit."

Cornelius held back a chuckle, opting instead to frown at the boy. "Wilbur, I know I've told you how incredibly dangerous it is to steal the time machine. Your mother and I are furious with you."

Wilbur looked to Franny for confirmation, a jolt of fear running through him at the glare she was giving him. He glanced at his father. "Look, I know I messed up. Again. But I swear it won't happen again."

"Wilbur, you said that last time. What would have happened if the time machine broke down and you were stuck in the past? How would you have gotten back home?"

Wilbur grimaced, appearing to be deep in thought. "Well, for one thing, one of me would probably cease to exist at some point."

The blond raised his eyebrows, impressed by his son's though process. "That's impressive son."

"Thanks."

"We also might've been stuck with two of you," Franny commented.

Wilbur's face twisted in confusion before a smirk crossed his features. All the things he could do with two of him…all the trouble he'd get in. "Cool!"

"No, not cool. Dangerous and impractical," the blond continued. "Why did you lose you glove to begin with?"

"I lost it in a bet-"

"So you've told me. Why did you bet it?" Wilbur mumbled something under his breath. "Use your words, Wilbur."

"I said I bet it because Samantha told me I was a wimp and that there was no way I would ditch class to climb the building." He hesitated. "I got caught on the second story window."

"You scaled a building?" Cornelius deadpanned.

"Wait, that's not all." Franny crossed her arms, motioning for him to continue. "She took my glove even though I did part of the bet, so I took the time machine to go back to this morning and…um." He cleared his throat. "I made it to the roof this time."

"So, not only did you ditch class, you climbed your school building TWICE with no supervision, only to get your chargeball glove back that we could've easily replaced," Franny said, clearly fuming.

Cornelius took a deep breath, knowing that when his wife was mad he had to be the patient one. "Wilbur, you could've gotten hurt. Or even worse, you could've died. Did you even think this all the way through?" he asked unnervingly calmly.

Wilbur looked down at his hands. "No."

"Wilbur," he drawled out. "I know you're only twelve, but you're old enough to think for yourself. You know we love you more than anything and we just want you to be happy. But there are consequences to your actions. Maybe not immediate, and maybe not always as miniscule as being grounded. But they exist, and it's your responsibility to accept them. Understood?"

The preteen nodded, smiling timidly up at his parents. The worst of it was over. "Understood." He stood up and hugged him, the adults embracing him in return. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Cornelius ruffled his newly gelled hair, the strands sticking back up. Wilbur frowned, running his hands through his hair for the millionth time. "It'd better not happen again." The blond wrapped his arm around Franny's waist. "Goodnight son."

"'Night, dad,' Wilbur replied, running over to the platform leading to his bed.

"Oh, and Wilbur," Cornelius said, glancing back at him from the doorway. "If it happens again, you'll be grounded for life."

Wilbur rolled his eyes.

...

February 2037

Robert Berkman paced, his hand tangling in his chestnut hair. He stopped every few steps, appearing to be observing his surroundings, a look of worry shadowing his young features.

"Robert, if you don't stop pacing you'll burn a hole through the floor."

He came to an immediate halt, glaring at the fat man sitting on the couch. He scowled as he flipped another page of his magazine. "How can you be so relaxed about this, Henry? You made me look like such a fool before. I let you let me sue the man for absolutely no reason, only to have you tell me to back out. I looked like a damn coward. Now you want me to do it again?" he asked, hands flailing. "Robinson hates me, he doesn't trust me. What makes you think this is even remotely a good idea?"

Henry sighed, placing the magazine on the coffee table in front of him. "Robinson may not trust you, but he trusts me." He stood, walking up to the younger man. "I know this sounds ludicrous, but I promise. What I'm proposing will change both of our lives forever. We just have to get our hands on that time machine." The man pulled a box out of his large pocket, lifting a cigar to his lips. "Just trust me."

Robert reluctantly accepted the cigar that was offered, frowning at that sentence. That was something he'd heard a million times, but not something easily done.


End file.
